Some residents of Port
Harcourt have described the plan by the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to cut-down the wages of National Assembly members and political office holders in the presidency if he assumes office as a step in the right direction.
They were of the opinion that the wages of members of the National Assembly and top political office holders in the country are not in tandem with the economic reality of the country and even supported that such cut should start from the local government areas.
George Nwakanma, in his reaction yesterday said, “it is funny that some councilors take home as huge as N300,000.00 each and members of the National Assembly go home with several millions each when the nation lacks money to build roads and provide social amenities for the people”.
Nwakanma advocated for reduction of the take home of the political office holders to a little higher than what obtains in the Federal Civil Service salary structure.
Another respondent, Ibifuro Jackson, in his own submission, said time has come for a total review of what any political office holder takes home as salary.
Jackson noted that the high and attractive wages of the officers is the reason why perchance for political offices was to strive that aspirants wish to even die for it.
Grace Elemuwa, a school teacher who also supported the reduction suggested that it was also wrong to make the Governors and deputy-Governor’s pensionable.
According to the teacher, “making such high political offices was quite unfair because of the already much attractions. One day the Councillors and Council Chairmen would also want to make their positions pensionable”.
Another respondent Kenneth Toms, said, “Mr. President should start the cut from his position and if  you ask me, I suggest, let all the salaries governors take home be the same irrespective of how rich their various states are”.
Toms expressed disappointment that when the unemployment level has gone so high and the economy of the nation is being surrounded by uncertainties, there is need to reduce what the political leaders take home at the end of the month.
“He blamed the poor state of the nation to uncontrollable wastage by the political leaders and stressed that “just few months ago we were swimming in excess crude account but today workers cannot get their due monthly salaries”.
Toms also called for probe on how the National Assembly and their State counterparts spent their various constituency funds.
“We must change a system where legislators at all levels are given free hands to spend huge amount belonging to their constituencies. There must be transparency and proper accountability”, he maintained.
“A situation where Assembly members merely give bicycles, motor bikes and mere tokens as if they are their personal donations from very huge constituency funds must change”, he stated.

Chris Oluoh