He said Nigerians are facing many challenges, including
unprecedented inflation, poor purchasing power, insecurity and other forms of
hardship.
The senator said, “The news of the increment came to me and
many of my colleagues as a shock. It also came at a time when the National
Assembly was on a break. Personally, I think the timing of this hike is very
wrong. Nigerians are grappling with many challenges.
“To put this fresh responsibility on them is very unfair.
Nigerians are yet to recover from the fuel subsidy removal of last year. Many
Nigerians are still grappling with the ripple effects that removal had on them.
To now come up with this is wrong.
“I believe that the timing is wrong. There ought to have
been some consultations, especially with the National Assembly as
representatives of the people. We were not consulted. We saw the news like
every other Nigerian.
“The inflation is still very high. The prices of food
commodities, drugs, transportation, school fees, and other daily expenditures
are still on the high side. To now add this new burden is unfair.
“The minimum wage has not been increased. Many state
governments are yet to even pay the current minimum wage of N30,000. How do we
expect the people to survive? We’ve to be very realistic and feel the pulse of
the people we represent as a government.
“For me, I think the Federal Government should first of all
provide stable electricity, reduce the inflation, stabilise the naira, and
prices of food commodities. Then, the purchasing power of Nigerians must
significantly improve before we can place a fresh responsibility on them as a
government.
“The Federal Government needs to give the National Assembly
the opportunity to also step in and consult because we represent the people. We
feel their pulse, and we know what they’re going through right now.”
