By Polycarp Onwubiko
Vanguard fiery columnist, Olu Fasan expressing or being livid with rage, lambasted the Federal Government for proposing a meagre, preposterous and ludicrous minimum wage of N48,000. He denounced the term "minimum wage" and called for its replacement with "A LIVING WAGE".
In his
usual incisive, refined and articulated piece titled: "A living wage will
reduce poverty in Nigeria, pay it"-----Olu Fasan, Vanguard May 16, 2024.
Hear
him:
"Why
would any government refuse to pay workers a wage that is high enough to
maintain a normal standard of living? Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the political
class captures a disproportionate share of the national income through
excessive remunerations, not to mention corruption, while the working class
earns a poverty wage called minimum wage.
“The
political class uses their excessive income from “labour” and corruption to
invest in assets and earn additional income from capital, deepening poverty and
inequality. That inequity must be addressed, and the starting point is a
reasonable living wage for workers".
Monkey Tricks By Former Governor Yahaya
Bello Of Kogi State And EFCC
By
Polycarp Onwubiko
Tribune
Editorial April 29, 2024 succinctly captured what could be described as
"monkey tricks between the former 'powerful' Governor of KOGI state, His
Excellency, Yahaya Bello, and the fire-eating and ferocious EFCC operatives on
his trail to answer to the charges of mind-boggling misappropriation of the
finances of the state during his eight years tenure".
The
Editorial said inter alia:
"...political
officeholders cannot continue do what they please while in office without a
thought about a day of reckoning. Leadership is about service, integrity and
transparency".
***Comment:
Nigeria
is a funny enclave. Former Governor Yahaya Bello's eight years tenure was
indeed a study in youthful (you can as well call it manful) exuberance and
youthful/manful impetuosity. Kogi State during the reign of this man who likes
to be referred to as "The White Lion", could be anything but sane and
sanitized public leadership.
It was
during his 'Napoleonic' and cowboy leadership exuberance that a PDP women
leader, after the governorship election, was burned alive inside her house. Her
offense was that she raised alarm on the mindless electoral malfeasance that
was perpetrated by the APC in the gubernatorial election in kogi State.
Why
Nigeria has become a butt of international joke is that hair-raising stories
have become daily affairs among the political leadership. Some president and
governors naively believe that rigging their way for eight years tenure is
equal to eternity and therefore indulge in outlandish and crass monstrosity
only to realize that eight years has come to an end.
A
president carried the worst election rigging to get second tenure and thinking
that eight years was eternity, brazenly schemed for a Third Tenure in office
only to realize that it was a pipedream. Yahaya Bello while mindlessly
committing all sorts of unimaginable style of governance suddenly realized that
eight years had come to an end.
The
nation's anti-graft watchdog which had dossier of how he piloted the corporate
affairs of Kogi State beckoned on him to render account of his stewardship.
Laughably, the self-styled "White Lion" became lily-livered and
hidden in the convoy of the Governor to evade arrest by the EFCC. Oh, haba,
Nigeria! Unfortunately for the trembling black or coloured Lion will eventually
realize that there is no hiding place for him unless he will be 'spirited' away
by his godson Governor because nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
Polycarp
Onwubiko is a media commentator.
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