The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has issued a statement blasting President Bola Tinubu for the eyewatering increase in benefits package for the military top brass. The statement issued on Thursday 9 January by CDWR national chairman Rufus Olusesan and national publicity secretary Chinedu Bosah is reproduced in full below.
It is a disservice to the toiling Nigerian workers and masses for President Tinubu to approve jumbo salaries, allowances and outrageous perks for serving and retiring generals and top military officers while subjecting those who labour to create the wealth of the country to poverty wage and pension. This approval was done through the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces wherein the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and top military generals are entitled to $20,000 (about N32,000.000) local/international medical treatment annually, bullet-proof SUVs and other perks.
The $20,000 medical tourism abroad, similar to the benefits accruable to top political office holders (past governors and presidents), is one of the reasons our medical services and healthcare in Nigeria is largely neglected, poorly funded and backward. At a period when Nigerian doctors, nurses and other professionals are relocating abroad in droves largely because of poor remunerations and funding of public healthcare in the country, this approval of medical tourism for top generals is an ill-advised policy that will further deepen the rot in Nigeria’s healthcare system. Instead of promoting medical tourism, a serious government would prioritize adequate funding of public healthcare, improvement in the pay and conditions of healthcare professionals and the provision of medical insurance in order to ensure that all Nigerian citizens including political office holders patronize the public healthcare system.
Similarly, jumbo allowances and perks were approved for judges last year (August 2024) by President Tinubu that jerk up the salaries and allowances by 300%. Before the astronomical increase of their salaries and allowances, judges already earned jumbo emoluments. In the same vein, top political office holders like president, governors, legislators, ministers, etc award to themselves outrageous salaries and allowances aside from several other ‘legalized looting’.
That the same government and President Tinubu who finds it impossible to pay Nigerian workers living wage but conveniently approves all manners of jumbo salaries, allowances and perks for top political office holders, judges and military top brass speaks volume. Workers create wealth but the ruling capitalist politicians decide the allocation and in the process condemn workers to penury and misery. The N70, 000 minimum wage approved for workers cannot feed an average family and meet their other needs considering the high cost of living.
The capitalist government is paying and pampering military officers, judges and political office holders to enable it use them to hold down the working people and ensure the seamless exploitation of the working class.
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) demands an end to this unfair and class-apartheid emolument system. The CDWR demands increment of workers’ wages/salaries to living wage and to be increased in line with inflationary rate. We also demand the abrogation of jumbo/outrageous salaries and allowances of political office holders, judges, top military officers and its reduction to the average wage and allowances of skilled workers.
