Buhari To Cut Salaries of CBN, NNPC, FIRS Workers

AgegePulse Magazine

There are strong indications that as President Muhammadu Buhari appears ready to assent to a new national minimum wage, following its recent passage by the National Assembly, he may be compelled to prune down the bogus salaries earned by some classes of civil servants in the country, particularly those in the employ of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), among other agencies.

This much became glaring when the president received the report of the Presidential Technical Advisory Committee on Implementation of National Minimum Wage, which was headed by Bismarck Rewane, at the Presidential Villa, on Monday.

Although the National Assembly was yet to transmit the new wage bill it passed to the president for assent, Buhari had on January 9, 2019 inaugurated the committee, with a clear mandate that it should advise the government on how best to fund, in a sustained manner, the additional costs of implementing the imminent increase in the National Minimum Wage.

Part of the terms of reference he gave the committee was that after the new minimum wage had been passed into law, government would go into negotiations for salary review for all the workers who were already earning above the new minimum wage.

The president had underscored in his remarks that it was important to properly prepare the minds of those public servants involved so that they would not be taken unawares when it was to time for implementation.

In tandem with the grievances of organised labour movement, the president had noted that the last time Nigeria’s national minimum wage was reviewed was in 2011, hence it was evident that a review was necessary, despite the prevailing fiscal challenges.

Although full details of the recommendations were still being kept under wraps by the government, Buhari had while receiving the report from Rewane, commended the committee members for their patriotism, hard work, commitment, and sacrifices.

“I understand that you have worked tirelessly to ensure that you deliver the report before we receive the Minimum Wage Bill from the National Assembly,” the president told the members which included Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Babatunde Fowler, ex-FIRS boss, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, Dr. Ayo Teriba, Chief Executive Officer, and Prof. Akpan Ekpo, among others.

The membership from the public sector included the Director General of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, who is the secretary of the committee; representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF); Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Richard Egbule; Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack; Permanent Secretary, General Service Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olusegun Adekunle; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Olajide Odewale; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, and Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata.

Native Reporters