Cut in Public Officers Pay

Nigerians may see a new salaries structure for public officers come next month, according to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). This pay cut is expected to affect all categories of public officers elected or appointed, and from the federal tier to the local government council level. It will also cut across the […]

Nigerians may see a new salaries structure for public officers come next month, according to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). This pay cut is expected to affect all categories of public officers elected or appointed, and from the federal tier to the local government council level. It will also cut across the three arms of government namely the legislature, executive and judiciary.
Meanwhile President MuhamaduBuharialso recently directed the Commission along the same direction during a meeting he had with the Chairman and members at the Presidential Villa. Significantly both the President and the Commission cited the dwindling revenue of the country as the justification for the exercise. With the noation losing as much as 30% of its expected revenue from oil sales pressure mounted on the public sector to downsize expenditure in less critical areas.
It is easily recalled that there had been widespread public misgiving over the perceived disparities in the pay package of public officers, especially with the ever growing size of government even without commensurate increase in the level of service delivery to the public. Infact the nation’s public service has abdicated its primary role as a service delivery agency to a mere dumping ground for the cronies and favourites of people in power.
This dispensation featured the flooding of the public service at every tier from the federal to the local government level and at public expense with even individuals who offered questionable contributions in advancing the cause of the public interest. In this category fall the various layers of hangers-on in government circles usuallymasquerading as Personal Assistants to individuals who are in turn serving as Special Assistants and Advisers to the legitimate public officers.
Nevertheless the issue of drain on the public purse through bloated pay for public officers seems to have as its primary example the situation with members of the National Assembly, around whom have spread reports of enjoying emoluments thatare highest among legislators in the world. It is therefore easy to believe that the present initiative to trim the pay of public officers is informed by the ‘anomalous’ pay of the federal legislators. Already in response to such thinking the National Assembly had accepted a cut in its 2015 budget from N150 billion to N 120 billion.
Incidentally the scheduled annual pay of the same federal legislators are fixed by the RMAFC atN19.66 million for a Senator and N18.26 million for a Member of the House of Representatives. This level compares with the take home pay of other public officers of comparable status such asMinsters, Permanent Secretaries and Directors General. The situation therefore raises pertinent questions over the circumstances surrounding the receipts of monies by the legislators outside the levels approved by the RMAFC.
There is therefore the need for a proper delineation of the target of the proposed pay cut, to ensure its optimal utility for the country. Essentially the discrepancybetween the approved pay for the legislators and the net collectibles need to be streamlined. In that respect any surplus over the official pay qualifies as illegal and demands the attention of the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) to clarify on the propriety of disbursement of such.Given the raging controversy over the issue of jumbo pay of National Assembly members, the OAuGFowes the nation a duty in that regard which should be discharged as soon as possible.
Another area of public concern is the issue of allowances of the federal legislators. At various occasions public protests have risen ibn respect of the various allowances with the most recent being over the wardrobe allowance for the legislators. Even the clarification by the Chairman of the RMAFC Elias Mbam that such an allowance was just 30% of the annual basic salary of the legislators failed to douse the public misgiving. The take of the Nigerian public is that while the salaries of the public officers may be within approved limits the allowances, which in many cases are the expansible elements of the pay package need to be reviewed.
Meanwhile the new pay cut initiative, welcome as it is, is nevertheless seen in some quarters largely as a knee jerk action by the government considering that but for the drop in oil prices the exercise would not have been contemplated. The coincidence between the Commission’s plans to review the pay of public officers and the presidential directive is also untidy. The claim by the Commission to commence the pay cut notwithstanding, the public should not be given the impression that but for the Presidential directive it would not have contemplated reviewing salaries and allowances of public officers as and when due. For this is the mandate given to it by the 1999 Constitution in Section 153.
That is why the Commission needs to adopt a more proactive disposition to the matter of addressing itself to the issue of salaries of public officers. Public officers are designated to deliver services which promote public interest and are remunerated from the public purse. Beyond the burden of such pay on the public purse the level of remuneration can often serve as a major index for fixing salaries in the private sector.
At this point the need exists for the members of the National Assembly to appreciate that the present call for across the board pay cut for public officers, which may include them is not borne out of any intention to vitiate their interest or status. Rather it is in response to a national emergency which as the elected representatives of the people they are duty bound to identify with. In that respect much more than surrendering a part of their pay willbe expected of them.
Given that whatever review in the remunerations that will be presented by the RMAFC will be tabled before them, it behoves on them to allow the overriding national interest govern whatever considerations they may wish to entertain. Seeing themselves as role model and therefore the cynosure of all eyes will guide them to do the needful even at this time.