All Progressives Congress (APC) – Borno South Senator Ali Ndume, has called for the salaries of the National Assembly members to be reduced by “half” so as to enable the Federal Government meet the demand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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| Senator Ali Ndume. Elected into Senate representing Borno South under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) |
Ndume, a former Senate Leader, made the call while baring his mind on the half salary for members of ASUU, in Maiduguri on Thursday.
He advised the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to establish a strong committee of respected educationists and patriotic Nigerians to get into a meeting with members of ASUU to deal with stubborn issues.
Senator Ali Ndume said, members of the National Assembly “only assemble twice per week” and get paid so heavily.
He suggested, “as a matter of priority”, salaries of “public servants in the legislative chambers” be reduced by “half”, so that members of ASUU can get paid very well.
Ndume went ahead to ask why the Federal Government cannot afford to “spend N1trillion in public universities?”, however, easily “spend N8.3trillion on public servants”, clarifying that ASUU members are simply “fighting for their rights and privileges”.
Ali Ndume, who was elected into Senate for Borno South, said: “Even if it means that the National Assembly will reduce sitting allowances or be paid on casual allowances basis whenever they sit at the Lower and upper chambers, by cutting the recurrent expenditure in the budget of the federal lawmakers to settle the ASUU arrears, let it be. It will be in the overall national interest of Nigerians
“We only assemble twice or so per week and get paid as such.
“Civil servants who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and were paid their full salaries and allowances monthly.
“So why will the federal government cut university lecturers’ salaries because they went on legitimate strike? Constitutionally, they are fighting for their rights and privileges.
“As a matter of priority and as a public servant in the legislative chambers, we don’t work; so why don’t you just give us half salary and then pay ASUU?
“It is high time they resolve the issue once and for all even if they have to borrow or make supplementary budgets.
“We are budgeting 20.5 trillion for 2023, I don’t see any reason why the government will not budget one trillion to address the lingering challenges of the education sector including ASUU strikes.
“Eight months, students were at home doing nothing and they are the public and we are the public servants. In the budget for 2023, the overhead is 43 percent.
“If you can spend N8.3trillion on public servants why don’t you spend N1trillion in public universities?
“Some of those involved in the negotiations do not have children in public universities.
“How can you be talking about something that you have no stake in? I don’t have a child in public schools, all my children are schooling outside the country; most politicians are like that too and they are the ones negotiating.
“With this to me, we will not get anywhere. Even if we got somewhere it will be temporary because other people will be playing in the gallery.
“Some of them will be claiming to be defending the interest of the federal government and the others will be pretending to be defending the interest of the masses and at the end, they are only playing to the gallery.”
• Senator Ali Ndume made a lot of positive statements here. Nice one! I hope the Federal Government listens!!
