Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has suggested that elected officials in Nigeria should be paid minimum wage to better understand the economic struggles faced by citizens.
Speaking on Wednesday at a special edition of The Platform, an event organized by The Covenant Nation to facilitate national development, Soludo emphasized the urgent need for fiscal prudence among government officials.
The event was held to commemorate Nigeria’s 25 years of uninterrupted democracy. During his address, Governor Soludo highlighted the country’s severe financial distress, attributing it to the extravagant lifestyles of government officials at the expense of public wealth.
“Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very poor and broke, but the lifestyle of government and government officials does not show it, especially with the obscene flamboyance in public display,” Soludo stated. He pointed out the growing impatience and hunger among the poor, cautioning against further aggravating the situation with insensitivity.
In a striking proposition, Soludo aligned with Reverend Father Mbaka’s sentiment that elected governors should earn minimum wage to experience the realities faced by ordinary citizens.
“In this case, I agree with Reverend Father Mbaka, who said elected governors should also earn minimum wage. I agree that we should be paid that so that we can feel that as well,” Soludo said.
Soludo disclosed that he has not collected any salary since assuming office, choosing instead to donate his earnings to the state. He described this gesture as symbolic, underscoring the broader need for systemic change.
“It is symbolic. It is not much. I think generally, the system is in denial. There must be some signaling; it is just the symbolism of this,” he added.
The governor also called for a new code of conduct for public officeholders to promote fiscal discipline and ensure that government officials perform their duties with a focus on public trust. “That is why I proposed reinventing the new code of conduct for public officers,” Soludo remarked.
Soludo provided stark statistics to illustrate Nigeria’s financial challenges. “For the federal government, the actual projecting revenue comes to about N6,160 per Nigerian, per month. For the states, except Lagos and a few states, most states have revenues amounting to less than N3,000 per resident, per month,” he explained. These figures highlight the limited funds available to address essential services such as infrastructure, debt servicing, salaries, pensions, and education.
Soludo concluded by urging public officials to remain conscious of the public trust they bear, warning that societal collapse is inevitable if wasteful spending continues.
“For each of our wasteful spending, let’s be conscious about the fact how many citizen shares we are squandering. Once we lose this consciousness about the public trust we bear, the society dies irredeemably,” he cautioned.
