A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, on Thursday
called for the downward review of the pay of political office holders
for equity and justice.
Obi made the call while speaking at a programme “The Ripples Dialogue” in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports the theme of the programme was “Rebuiding a Divided Nigeria”.
He said it was improper for political office holders to allocate huge pay to themselves when the masses lived in poverty.
Mr Obi said salaries of political office holders did not reflect
the realities and were not in tandem with the standards in other parts
of the world.
“The salaries and allowances of political office holders in
Nigeria are outrageous, especially when most people in this country are
living in want.
“Come to think of it, a university professor with all his
experience and contribution to the society earns N300,000, whereas some
political leaders collect like N13.5million with some other perks; this
is not fair.
“In the United States, academics such as professors earn so
much, and that is why they are able to focus on research that promote
the development of their country.
“Even the governors in the US earn according to the sizes of
their states and how buoyant the economy is. What politicians earn here
is way too much.
“I think we made a mistake with all these huge salaries for political office holders; but we have made mistake, can we go back?”
He said the country had witnessed so many divisions along ethnic, religious and even class lines.
The former described the situation as unhealthy for the unity of
the country, and urged everyone to do his bit to bring the country
together.
He decried the rising debt profile of the country, saying it was not good for growth.
“Even if we are borrowing, we should be able to justify why we are doing so.
“The people should be able to see the concrete things we are doing with the borrowed funds,” he said.
The former governor said the country was lagging behind in development among it’s contemporaries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
He said the key to accelerated development was massive investment
in education and urged governments at all levels to invest in the
sector.
Mr Obi said nation-building is a collective responsibility, urging all Nigerians join hands to reposition the country.
-NAN