The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Oyo State Chapter has taken up Governor Seyi Makinde up on the 50 and 30 per cent salary cut of political appointees and legislators respectively.
Commending the governor for the cut, the Party demanded that political office holders should be placed on the same salary scale with the civil servants as well as cancellation of security vote for the president, governors and their deputies as well as others who benefit from such largesse.
In a press statement signed by the State Secretary of the party, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, the party further demanded, “Contract System must be cancelled and replaced with public work and state’s fund must be subjected to democratic management and control of the elected representatives of the working people”.
The statement reads in part:
“As far as we are concerned in SPN, it will be unfair and inhuman if any attempt is made whether now or in the future to slash the salary of the civil servants in the state under the pretense of any kind of economic crisis. Already, between the month of February 2020, when the Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government finally agreed to commence the implementation of the new minimum wage of N30,000 and now, the value of salary received by mass of the civil servants in the state has been grossly eroded by the combination of recent hike in inflation and the decision of the CBN to devalue the Naira. Right now the inflation is now at 16 per cent against the 11 per cent when the N30,000 minimum wage was approved by the Federal Government.
“Besides, there is nothing concrete in terms of benefits that can be said to be enjoyed by these civil servants during the period the economy was said to be in good shape. This is unlike the pro-capitalist politicians and their acolytes either in politics or business who have always been using their political privileges and influence to unduly appropriate to themselves, benefits of the economy whether in the period of recession or boom. Asides the humongous salaries and allowances these political office holders award to themselves outsides several other forms of undue privileges, we also note that inflation of contract sums is another regular dubious practice by these pro-capitalist politicians through which public funds are usually awarded to themselves and their political acolytes who masquerade as contractors.
“Likewise is the so called security vote which is a huge amount of fund the governor uses his discretion and prerogative to always deduct from the fund at the disposal of the state without legislative appropriation or accountability. The fact that these kind of fund is allowed to be expended without the governor being accountable to the people on how much was withdrawn in the name of security vote and how the withdrawn amount is spent shows that it is another fraudulent means through which our collective resources is often appropriated by few members of the political class.
“It is in the light of this kind of undue benefits and privileges being enjoyed by the political office holders that the acclaimed 50 per cent pay cut by the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government is considered to be tokenistic. In fact, given the crudest way the political office holders and their acolytes awards to themselves public funds under different forms of pretense, it will be difficult to guarantee availability of sufficient fund and required resources to support the provision of the needs of workers and the poor as well as adequate funding of public utilities like education and health among others.
@Therefore, if Engr Seyi Makinde-led government is so serious about its commitment to mitigate the effect of the economic crisis and ensure that the salaries of the civil servants in the state are intact and paid promptly, it must be ready to make far reaching steps beyond mere pay cut of its political appointees and legislators.
“The following are therefore what we believe are far reaching steps expected of the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government at this critical period: First is to ensure that all political office holders are placed on salaries and allowances that is equivalent to that being received by the civil servants in the state. Secondly, the shady contract system must be cancelled and replaced with direct labour and public work under which the Ministry of works will be equipped with necessary machinery and expertise.
“Thirdly, the security vote often taken by the governor from the state’s treasury must be cancelled while the long list of unnecessary proliferated political offices must be scrapped.
“While we argue for freeing up more resources to meet the need of the people, it is also our belief that the limited resources currently at the disposal of the state government if judiciously utilised will be enough to guarantee prompt payment of workers’ salaries without any reduction and still do meaningful projects that will help to uplift the living condition of other categories of the working people in the state who are not salary earners.
“This is the reason we of the SPN often demand a democratic control and management of the entire fund at the disposal of the state by a democratic committee of elected representatives of the working people. Without this kind of a measure, there is every likelihood that the resources of the state whether or not it increases will always be stolen by the pro-capitalist politicians and in this kind of corrupt system, the funds available for the state cannot translate into any meaningful improvements in the living and working condition of mass of the working people.
“It is in the light of this that we of the SPN, urge the state leadership of NLC, TUC and ULC not to be carried away by the tokenism of a pay cut of political office holders, rather they should come up with a list of demands including those stated above in order to ensure that the economic interest of workers and the poor are adequately protected during this economic and public health crisis”.
