Hardship: N70,000 minimum wage not ideal for workers – Lawmaker

A House of Representatives Member, George Ozodinobi, has decried the growing high cost of living in Nigeria.

Speaking on the floor of the plenary, the lawmaker who represents Njikoka and Ochadunokofia federal constituency of Anambra State, said N70,000 minimum is not ideal for any civil servant.

Ozodinobi said the increase in fuel pump price has made life unbearable for Nigerians in the past week.

His words, “I want to draw the attention of all of us that in this recent past, the Federal Government gave a minimum wage of N70,000 per month and just a week or two ago, there’s an increase of fuel price and I am telling you from personal experience.”

Citing instances with his domestic staff, Ozodinobi added, “My driver, I approved his transport of N3,000 a day and he has now come up with a bill of N6,000 a day just to come to work.

“All these things are affecting the entire stress of our people. What does this dovetail to?

“We cannot transport food from our constituency or our constituencies cannot transport their produce from the farm to the market with a much lesser cost,” the lawmaker said.

He also noted that the newly approved minimum wage cannot carry any civil servant and his/her family past three days considering the rate at which basic needs and food items are increasing in price.

He said, “The increases of food in this country… somebody who is earning N70,000 a month, his N70,000 cannot last him for three days. In this same government with the same policy.”