*NLC and TUC must be
united towards a struggle to resist any attempt to slash salaries and pensions
in the state
*For political office holders of the same salary
and allowances as civil servant as well as an end to a dubious contact system
through which political office holders and their allies siphon public money
The attention of the
Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) Oyo state chapter has been drawn to a media
report that the APC-led government in the state claimed to have slashed the
salaries of political appointees by 50%.
SPN sees the purported 50% slash in salaries of political appointees,
which was reportedly disclosed by the Secretary to the state government, Mr
Olalekan Ali during a press conference held on the 7th November,
2016, as a mere deceit and gimmick to build a public sympathy towards a bid to
revive the age long plan of the Senator Ajimobi-led government to slash the
salaries and pensions of civil servants and retirees in the state.
The basic salaries of
political office holders and appointees are small if compared to all forms of
jumbo allowances they receive. Some of these allowances are for vehicles,
entertainment, security, utility, newspapers, medical, clothing, feeding etc.
and they often range from 100% to 300% of their basic salaries. All these
allowances taken by political appointees just as the governor and members of
house of assembly take security votes and constituency allowance respectively
are so outrageous such that their opulent lifestyle will not be affected even
with the so called 50% slash in their salary.
If the Ajimobi-led Oyo
state government is truly interested in any serious measure to shore up the
dwindling revenue base, it should rather place all its political office holders
and appointee on the same salary and allowances scale as that of mass of civil
servants in the state. He must at the same time scrap security vote, abolish
the corrupt contract system while invest money liberated from this measure in
social and public infrastructure through a public work programme under
democratic control of workers. This is very important because inflation of
contracts has been one of the ways through which politicians and big business
siphon public money under contract system.
Except this kind of
measure is taken no amount of percentage slash of salary of either political
appointees or political office holder will translate into any improvement in
the living and working condition of the working people in the state. Instead
the 50% slash in salary of political appointee may sooner or later turns out to
be a weapon in the hands of the pro-capitalist Ajimobi-led government in the
state to start canvassing for a slash in the meagre salary and allowance of
civil servants in the state.
Therefore we call on
the civil servants in the state particularly the leadership of the major trade
union centres in the state NLC, TUC
including the JNC not to be
induced by the called 50% slash in the salary of political appointee to agree
or accept any slash in the salary of civil servants in the state. Instead, they
must be united toward initiating a renewed struggle against non-payment of
backlogs of salaries and pensions and other attacks on living and working
condition under which the civil servants in the state groan.
Abiodun Bamigboye (Abbey Trotsky)
(08033914091)
Secretary,
SPN, Oyo State Chapter
Good job. But who are the leaders of this party? I'm really interested in joining and being an active member of a party and I'll love to be here but does this party have a national outlook? What's the up in the party.
ReplyDeleteThis is a blog and not a website. Is there a central website?
Please these are questions i need answers to.