Declare your assets publicly, group tells Jonathan, govs, others

Details: Category: Opinions/Interviews; Published on Friday, 24 June 2011 06:03; Written by Admin; Hits: 869

A group, Clean Nigeria Campaign (CNC), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan, state governors, incoming ministers and members of national and state assemblies to declare their assets publicly. CNC said the declaration would enable Nigerians to monitor their assets.

The group wondered why governors, who allegedly shared the $22 billion Excess Crude Account saved by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration without building new refinery and fully rehabilitating existing ones, are now calling for fuel subsidy removal.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the national coordinator of the organisation, Osita Okechukwu, the group urged the governors to obey the law by paying the minimum wage.

He argued that going by the prevailing market rate, N18,000 could not be adjudged a living wage for a family of six.

The group stated that it was outraged over the statement that emanated from the Governors’ Forum on the payment of the national minimum wage to Nigerian workers and reminded the governors that they participated actively in the process that led to the reduction of labour’s minimum wage demand from N52, 000 to N18, 000.

“There is no direct linkage between the Minimum Wage Act and the fuel subsidy. For the avoidance of the doubt, the removal of fuel subsidy will amount to double jeopardy to the Nigerian workers and render N18, 000 minimum wage useless,” the group added. (Tribune)