From Fred Itua, Abuja
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the salaries of members of the National Assembly are not enough to take care of demands from their constituents.
Akpabio said with the volume of requests from various constituents represented in the National Assembly, lawmakers’ earnings are too inadequate to cater for those requests.
He made the revelation while contributing to the debate on a motion sponsored by Abdulrahman Kawu Suleiman, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) representing Kano South, on the need to avert the impending strike planned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Akpabio conceded that admitted that though hardships associated with the removal of subsidies on petroleum products are enormous, there is a need for the people to be more patient with the government, while steps are being taken to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
Kawu in defending his motion, drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that “the strike would cripple the country as movement would be severely curtailed as commercial transport operators would withdraw their services, while markets, schools and healthcare facilities would be forced to shut down.”
He said the action could heat up the polity when it occurred, and the gains from the strike are
far below the costs to either of the parties in conflict.
“The strike threat by the NLC, if not averted, could plunge Nigeria into deeper economic woes,
dislocate businesses, hunger, frustration, more hardship that would lead to unquantified financial losses and reduce Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP);
“NLC strike is also a bad reputation for the Nigerian economy and the educational system because it portrays the country in a bad light to the external world and discourages foreigners from coming to
do business or study in Nigeria,” Kawu said.
The Senate after the debate mandated its leadership to interface between the Nigeria Labour Congress and
the Federal Government in order to avert a strike.