Lawmakers Salaries Not Enough –Akpabio

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has said that the salaries of members of the National Assembly were not enough to take care of demands from their constituents.

According to the Senate president, the lawmakers earnings were too inadequate to cater to the volume of requests from various constituents represented in the National Assembly.

Akpbabio stated this on Monday while contributing to the debate on a motion sponsored by Abdulraman Kawu Suleiman, member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) representing Kano South, on the need to avert impending strike planned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Akpabio conceded that though hardships associated with the removal of subsidy on petroleum products were enormous, there was need for the people to be more patient with government while steps were being taken to ameliorate sufferings of the people.

Kawu, while defending his motion, said that “the strike would cripple the country as movement would be severely curtailed as commercial transport operators would withdraw their services, while markets, schools and healthcare facilities would be forced to shut down.”

He argued that the strike if not averted would plunge the nation into deeper economic woes, dislocate businesses and lead to hunger, frustration, more hardship.

“NLC strike is also a bad reputation for the Nigerian economy and the educational system because it portrays the country in a bad light to the external world and discourages foreigners from coming to do business or study in Nigeria,” Kawu added.

The Senate after the debate mandated its leadership to interface between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Federal Government in order to avert strike.