In a statement available to newsmen yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alfa Mohammed, the SDP stated that it was ridiculous and sad that Nigerian governors who engaged in unnecessary wasteful spendings could not pay its productive workers what they rightly deserved.
According to the Party, “It is a clear fact that the Nigerian workers are one of the least paid in Africa if not the world, despite their unwavering productivity and commitment to duty and development of the nation
“It is a sad fact that many states government owed worker’s salaries for several months, despite their display of mindboggling financial recklessness and ostentatious profligacy. This has led to increased frustrations and needless deaths for some of the workers and may result in corruption on the part of the workers.”
The party which frowned at the crass insensitivity to the plight of the Nigerian workers by the government of the day condemned the increasing reluctance of the government to yield to the demands that would better the lots of its workers’ conditions thereby boosting their productivity.
“We are taken aback by the flagrant delay in response to their demands. There is no justification whatsoever not to pay the N30,000 minimum wage for the workers, even though this cannot be equated to the living wages in the face of the present economic hardship in the country.
“Government has the capacity to pay the wage without any pressures on its finance. Government at all level need to put in place policies that will plug out all the financial loopholes or leakages of its resources so as to make more funds available. Government officials, most especially the state governors need to stop the unnecessary charter of aircraft at the expense of the taxpayers of the nation.”
While insisting that the state governors were in a good position to meet the demand of the workers, the SDP advocated for a drastic reduction in the security votes allocated to governors as well as the long and undue convoys of our governors to reduce wastage of public funds.
According to it, “All unjustifiable, wasteful foreign trips by state government functionaries, be it for medical or business related, must be curtailed or find viable and cost effective alternatives if at all there is a need for such
“In the face of the increasing financial obligations of many states and the need to pay its workers, states must improve on their internally generated revenues. They need to also diversify their economic base and boost the capacity of its work force in order to enhance productivity.
“We want to state categorically, against this backdrop that state governments must wake up from their slumber and desist from over-dependence on Federal Government allocations
“Emphatically, they should learn to invest in profitable ventures that will bring regular revenues to states’ purse.”
The Party also advocated that state government should embark on reduction and redirection of redundant staff to productive sectors as well as engage in training and empowerment programmes for staff to become sustainably productive and desist from duplication of political appointees and cut down on their allowances to reduce the cost of governance.
It urged all state governments to support the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in its quest for devolution of power that will make people in the grassroots the key focus of government as well as improve service delivery to states and local governments.
While commending the maturity and resilience of the Nigerian workers in the face of government’s intimidation and indifference in the past years, the SDP maintained that the state government can pay workers the minimum wage without resorting to a rationalisation of its workforce in view of the funds at their disposal presently.
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