The Members of the House of Representative voted in support of a motion to donate 50 percent of their salaries for a timeline of six months to assist the federal government in addressing the economic situation in the country on Thursday.
The house came to the resolution after a motion of urgent importance for “An appeal to the proponents of the proposed nationwide protest, to maintain peace, eschew violence and open windows for meaningful engagements with the governments at all levels in order to address their issues” was raised in the house.
The motion sponsored by Ibrahim Isiaka, the representative for Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, Ogun State, during Thursday’s plenary raised the motion due to the reports of an impending mass protest by youths to register their displeasure about the hardship in the country.
A flier had even been designed and shared to announce the date for the protest which was scheduled for 1st August 2024 to express their discontent with the government and hardship as reflected in the high cost of living, food scarcity, unemployment.
Although Hon Isiaka admitted that Nigerians have the constitutional right to demand better living conditions, the Ogun lawmaker urged the youths to give the government a chance to fix the challenges facing the nation and urged them to explore other avenues such as dialogue.
Isiaka said, “The citizens of Nigeria have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest to address their grievances, but the House is pleading for reason, understanding, and unity in the face of adversity.
“This honourable House appeals to the proponents of the proposed nationwide protest in Nigeria to consider a different path, a path of patience, dialogue, and collaboration, prioritise peace and open channels for meaningful engagements with the government at all levels.
“We urge all stakeholders to uphold the principles of democracy, respect human rights, and uphold the rule of law in their actions and engagements.
“We trust that through peaceful engagement and dialogue, we can collectively work towards building a better and brighter future for Nigeria.”
The All Progressives Congress chieftain said there was no denial of the reality that “the issues of insecurity, unemployment, and poverty weigh heavily on the hearts of every Nigerian,” stressing, however, that “the desire for change, progress and a better tomorrow is a sentiment that unites us all.”
“The House urges you, our fellow Nigerians, to consider the broader perspective, to act with wisdom and foresight, and to support efforts towards a more stable, secure, and prosperous Nigeria,” Isiaka said.
Other house members contributed to the motion, and the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu pleaded with the other members to sacrifice 50 percent of their salaries to support the government’s intervention efforts to address the situation. He said:
“This government is doing its best, but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months.
“Our salary is N600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 percent of our salary for a period of six months,” Kalu said.
He noted that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration did not shy away from the difficulties it met a little over a year ago, assuring that “The challenges will not be there forever.”
He reminded young Nigerians that their complaints are genuine, warning however that “The solution lies in dialogue and not in street protest.”
The House members subsequently voted in support of the motion.
This means the members of the house will donate N300,000 monthly to the federal government. The 360 members in the house will contribute N108 million monthly and N648 million for six months.
While it is true that the right to protest is a fundamental right of Nigerians, could this step be convincing enough to prevent the youths from expressing their displeasure towards the current government? The house of rep members suggested donating half of their salaries, what about other allowances they enjoy? Isn’t cutting the cost of governance a permanent solution to our economic problems?
