Members of the House of Representatives, have agreed to donate 50 per cent of their salaries for a period of six months to assist the Federal Government in addressing the economic situation in the country.
The resolution of the House was a sequel to a motion of urgent importance for “An appeal to the proponents of the proposed nationwide protest, to maintain peace, eschew violence and open windows for meaningful engagements with the governments at all levels in order to address their issues.”
The motion was sponsored by the member representing Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, Ogun State, Ibrahim Isiaka, during Thursday’s plenary.
There have been reports of an impending nationwide mass protest by youths, to express displeasure about the hardship in the country, reflected in the high cost of living, food scarcity, unemployment and so on.
A viral flier on social media announced a nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 over the hardship in the country.
While admitting that Nigerians had the constitutional right to demand better living conditions, the Ogun lawmaker urged the youths to give the government a chance to fix the challenges facing the nation.
Isiaka said, “The citizens of Nigeria have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest to address their grievances but the House is pleading for reason, understanding, and unity in the face of adversity.
“This honorable House appeals to the proponents of the proposed nationwide protest in Nigeria to consider a different path, a path of patience, dialogue, and collaboration, prioritise peace and open channels for meaningful engagements with the government at all levels.
“We urge all stakeholders to uphold the principles of democracy, respect human rights, and uphold the rule of law in their actions and engagements.
“We trust that through peaceful engagement and dialogue, we can collectively work towards building a better and brighter future for Nigeria.”
The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the session, yielded the floor to members to contribute to the motion, and when it was the turn of the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, to speak, he amended the prayers by pleading with his colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent of their salaries to support government’s intervention efforts to address the situation.
“This government is doing its best, but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months.
“Our salary is N600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 per cent of our salary for a period of six months,” Kalu said.
