How would you expect a man earning N28k not to steal when he sees the opportunity?’ -Ben Murray-Bruce

The senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, asked this question while reacting to the current N18k minumum wage

1 thought on “How would you expect a man earning N28k not to steal when he sees the opportunity?’ -Ben Murray-Bruce”

A useful advocacy input by the senator. In the correct perspective, recommendations for the minimum/living wage scales should have been preceded by a national remuneration analysis which involves a scrutiny of living standards, currency of and forecast for rate of inflation into basic living standards – what makes for productivity to enhance and what incentives there may be for recruitment, retention and purpose-minded all encompassing impart towards commitment and reliability. If these were in place, then a low-wage employee will avert most of the temptations emanating from low pay. However, as corrupt practices and publicised disparity in earnings is ‘top-down’, the temptation is always there to distract from purposefulness to self fulfilment and gratification. No earner enjoys living by the payday, meaning the only time monetary satisfaction is derived is when the pay packet hits the bank account but already depleted few hours after. So, how does the earner make it through to another pay-day? In the face of so many disclosed corrupt practices(N49m crisp mints found at Kaduna airport with no one to account for it), the ever-present over-remunerated public servants and the agonising pressure of discretionary inflation of most products all over the place and a lack of domestic manufactured products, it becomes a ‘culture’ to exploit respective role and position to achieve the monetary’added-value’ without inhibition, such as a ‘bribe demand from the Gate-man’ before granting access to visit the CEO or, pilferage of company resources to ‘make ends meet’. The answer to cohering a dedicated and trustworthy workforce starts with those at the top of the hierarchy, to explore and predict needs of a low-paid worker: mid-line management to direct-line staff, up to their retirement age, and to be filtered down to the very bottom of the ‘food chain’. Legislators earn a global remuneration that makes a self sufficient person gasp in awe, and despite the noted critiques, nothing further has been actioned to ameliorate the hardship of the majority. My newly appointed gate-man is very current with public climate of wages and remuneration. As he is a resident security staff, he addressed the pay packet agreement by stating that, as I do not live in the country, there is no perk for him, so he ‘upped’ the starting salary scale by another N25/month.. a sensible man. He’d have experienced his peers who’d receive tokens from ‘Oga’s visitors’ whenever they visit. We’re negotiating over an incremental in a few months when he will be 1 year in post. At least he is straightforward and dedicated to his duty. He has now supplemented his earning by asking for, and receiving permission to use an affiliated spare plot to cultivate consumable food products – greens, tomatoes, corn, etc, he also rents another plot externally, to breed chickens and rabbits .. Home economics here, but not all have a flair or time-space for for such.
Yes, some conscientious politicians had tersely raised the issue of conceding their outrageous salaries and allowances to fill some gaps in national pay gap, this is not sufficient, it should be presented as a legislative Bill to cross-over all public sectors ( a dream pipe)? If this is not done, and nothing further is implemented to grant the ‘poor’ majority a succour, then we are as good as forgetting about a change in culture and mindset of corrupt values.