From Fred Itua, Abuja
Senators, yesterday, lambasted the Federal Government over its embargo on employment despite the yearly increases in recurrent expenditure.
Senators’ anger against the embargo on employment and yearly increase in recurrent expenditure component of budget was triggered by submissions made by the chairman of National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Mr. Nta Ekpo before the Senate Committee on Establishment.
Failure of Ekpo to tell the committee the total amount of salaries and wages Federal Government pays its workforce yearly had infuriated many members of the committee who wondered why recurrent expenditure in yearly budget is not decreasing on account of embargo on employment and retirements at the various agencies.
Specifically, Ali Ndume, said the NSIWC boss wassupposed to know the wage bill of Federal Government workers.
“Honestly speaking, time bomb is ticking because of the doors shut out against millions of youths seeking employment through the embargo.
“Making it worrisome is the fact that despite the policy (embargo) since 2018 , recurrent expenditure components of yearly budget have been increasing. In 2018, it was N3.5 trillion, N4 trillion in 2019, N4.5 trillion in 2020, N5.6 trillion 2021 and N6.83 trillion in the projected N16.39 trillion 2022 budget.
“It is bad for recurrent expenditure to be increasing on yearly basis without increase in the number of workforce through required recruitments.
“The embargo is turning into a time bomb that can explode at anytime as witnessed in some countries in recent past. Personally, I’m already thinking of where to run to if the avoidable crisis is not averted. I visited Ghana and Niger recently in this regard.”
Other members of the committee like Suleiman Kwari, Nicholas Tofowomo and the its chairman, Ibrahim Shekarau, aligned with Ndume’s position.
Chairman of the Committee, thereafter, directed the Commission boss to laiase with the Accountant General of the Federation and other management officials of IPPIS for the required harmonisation in arriving at total amount of salaries/wages Federal Government pays per annum.
The NSIWC boss had in his presentation, lamented that his agency recruited last in 2008 and the planned extension of year of service and retirement age for primary and secondary schools teachers would further shut the door against fresh graduates.
“The policy seems good but what happens to young graduates with teaching qualification,” he queried.
