The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, on Thursday advised the Federal Government to come up with an effective living wage system in the country.
Tajudeen gave the advice in his remark at the 63rd Independence Anniversary Symposium with the theme,” Actualising the Vision of Renewed Hope for Socio- Economic Development through Effective Leadership.”
The speaker who spoke at the symposium held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja said that the war against corruption would not succeed unless government address the issue of living wage in the country.
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“One thing that I have to emphasise concerning all that have been said is an aspect, an area that previous administrations have not taken serious.
“And that is the issue of living wage and the fight against corruption. The discussants have spoken maybe slightly on that issue and that issue is the issue of coming up with a living wage which is the foundation of a corrupt free society.
“If a worker is paid well, he is paid enough to be able to afford his basic needs it will help to eliminate corruption in a significant way because he doesn’t need to steal before he feed his family.
“He doesn’t need to steal to be able to pay his rent. He doesn’t have to steal to take his children school. Today in the Nigerian project, this is what is completely absent particularly when we look at the socioeconomic realities.”
He said that considering the hyperinflation in the country vis-a-vis the level of living wage, it would be difficult for workers to work in a transparent and effective manner.
“I don’t see how any Nigerian can be ale to work in the transparent and effective manner. So, I am going to call on this administration to please look into this issue.
“Let us for the very first time sit-down and look at means and ways of coming up with an effective living wage system.
“A wage that each and every Nigerian irrespective of position has enough to eat, have enough to pay rent, have enough to pay for transportation to office.
“Unless we solve that problem the issue of the fight against corruption will continue to be just a mirage.”
The speaker gave the assurance that the 10th National Assembly would continue to discharge its constitutional role through partnership with other arms of government for the benefit of Nigerians.
Tajudeen said the 63rd independence anniversary was an opportunity for the country to reflect on its past mistakes and proffer solutions for a better future.
Prioritise key aspects- Adegoroye
Earlier, the guest speaker, Goke Adegoroye, had commended Mr Tinubu for the steps taken so far in repositioning governance and resetting the economy.
Mr Adegoroye urged the administration to prioritise key aspects of the ‘Renewed Hope’.
He said this would ensure that the impact of the agenda was felt across different sectors of the economy for the benefits of the citizens.
Mr Adegoroye said the success of President Tinubu in office will depend on his commitment to fight corruption.
“The success of the President is actualising his Renewed Hope Agenda is contingent on his commitment to really deal with corrupt officials in leadership positions, be they political appointees or career public servants.
“Doing that at the topmost level is critical as the integrity backbone of the occupants of those positions is what the Accounting Officers and their subordinates would rely upon for the courage to do their jobs,” he said.
Mr Adegoroye lamented that corruption has festered more in the country despite multiple anti-corruption laws and enforcement institutions causing the nation’s woes to multiply.
He said, “Corruption has festered more despite our multiple anti-corruption laws and their enforcement institutions. Across all sectors, whether it is the NNPC Limited, the CBN, FIRS, Customs etc the nation’s woes have continued to mount.
“With the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Treasury Single Account (TSA) etc in place, humongous amounts of leakages have continued to occur in the treasury of Government. These speak of the integrity of many in leadership positions.”
