Niger Govt Slashes Political Appointees’ Salaries by 50%

Niger Govt Slashes Political Appointees’ Salaries by 50%

  

Following  the economic crises in the Niger State which has affected the implementation of projects by the administration of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, the state government today announced a 50 percent slash in the salaries paid to political office holders with effect from the end of this month.

A circular to this effect signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Umaru Shehu Danyaya,  said those affected by the new policy were Personal Assistants, Special Assistants, Senior special Assistants SSA.

Not less than 1,000 political appointees in these categories have been appointed by the governor since he assumed office on May 29 last year.

However the new policy would not affect Commissioners and Special Advisers whose emoluments are statutorily backed

Explaining the rationale behind the new policy to journalists in Minna yesterday, the Permanent Secretary (political) in the office of the SSG, Alhaji Danladi Buhari, said the new policy was informed by the prevailing economic situation in the country.

Buhari disclosed that with the reduction, those political appointees who hitherto collected between N50, 000 and N65,000 will now be entitled to between N25,000 and N30,000, pointing out that the policy has come to stay.

He further stated that in addition to reducing the cost of governance, the present administration wanted to use the policy to make political appointment less attractive so that people will not just sit down at home and be collecting salaries without doing anything.

Buhari admitted that though this decision had not gone down well with the people as there have been complaints from various quota, the government, he said, had no hidden agenda, stressing that: "This is not the first time that salaries of political appointees are being review downward in the state.

"In view of the current economic reality, the government cannot continue with the present wage bills of political office holders in the state because what we are getting now as revenue is not up to what we used to get so there is the need to cut down government expenditure, including salaries of these categories of appointees."