Workers’ salary, wages review apt to curb corruption
President Tinubu’s administration can only succeed in fighting the war against corruption if there is an urgent improvement in the salaries of workers to keep their minds off bribe seeking and taking.
On Monday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas made a case for better wages and remuneration for Nigerian workers.The Speaker made the appeal in light of the recent removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant increase in the price of petrol as well as other commodities in the country.
According to Abbas in a statement on Monday by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the current salary package does not reflect current economic realities.
He, therefore, called for an upward review of wages that will guarantee fair living conditions and the ability of workers to meet their responsibilities.
Citing an example of UK, he said: “Today, if you are a labourer in London, you will be paid enough for you to go and pay your rent, take care of your basics and still be able to have a fairly good living.
“With that kind of incentive, you don’t need to go and borrow, you don’t need to go and beg, you don’t need to go and steal.”
The Speaker rightly observed that what an average worker earns currently is less than what somebody could use to buy fuel to fill his car tank and that situation does not encourage the fight against corruption.
“For us to wage a war on corruption, we need to create an enabling environment where each and every one of us will be able to operate transparently.”
This, according to him, is without having to steal, intimidate and having to go and beg or borrow and that is the beginning of the reform.
If we can get the rule of law working, we will be able to work on the reforms necessary for fighting corruption.
In fighting corruption, we also need to create an enabling environment where an average worker should be able to earn enough to live with his family.
It is on record that successive Nigerian governments, officials and especially security personnel, are habitual abusers of the rule of law and human rights. They flout court orders with impunity. Under the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, their recklessness and impunity reached a new high.
Tinubu, who constantly prides himself as a democrat, must be different. He should set an example by obeying the law and compel all officials of state to demonstrate utmost compliance to the rule of law, the cornerstone of democracy.
Emphasising this, the Rule of Law Alliance, a San Jose, Costa Rica-based non-profit, declares, “The rule of law is critical for the advancement of democracy, rooted in equal rights and accountability. By strengthening the rule of law, we protect the rights of all people, advance inclusiveness, and limit the arbitrary exercise of power, which are the cornerstones of modern democracy.”
Tinubu must end the impunity, and prioritise the strengthening of institutions and the enforcement of laws and court orders. Restoration of respect for the rule of law should be part of his legacy. Beyond this all hands must be on deck to transform the country.
