Soludo Proposes Governors Take Minimum Wage to Understand Workers' Plight

Charles Soludo

'To experience workers' agony,' Soludo wants governments to pay the minimum wage. 

Soludo Proposes Governors Take Minimum Wage to Understand Workers' Plight

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has stated that governors and other elected officials should be paid a minimum wage that is in line with Nigeria's current economic conditions. He stressed that, despite the typically lavish lifestyles of governors and political officials, the country is today facing a grave financial crisis. 

The governor spoke on Wednesday, June 12, and said Nigeria's economic troubles are aggravated by government officials' expensive lives, which are funded at the expense of the country's wealth.

“Let's come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very poor and broke but the lifestyle of government and government officials does not show it, especially with the obscene flamboyance in public display,” Soludo said.

He went further to say, “The poor are hungry and impatient, let's not annoy them more with our insensitivity. In this case, I agree with reverend father Mbaka, who said elected governors should also earn minimum wage. I agree that we should be paid that so that we can feel that as well.

“In Anambra, I have not received a kobo as salary since I assumed office. I have donated my salary to the state.

“It is symbolic. It is not much. I think generally, the system is in denial. There must be some signalling, it is just the symbolism of this.”

Soludo asked his colleagues and elected leaders to reduce unnecessary spending.

“That is why I proposed reinventing the new code of conduct for public officers. For the federal government, the actual projected revenue comes to about N6,160 per Nigerian, per month.

“For the states, except Lagos and a few states, most states have revenues amounting to less than N3,000 per resident, per month.

“For each of our wasteful spending, let's be conscious of how many citizens share that we are squandering. Once we lose this consciousness about the public trust we bear, the society dies irredeemably,” he said.