Slash public officers salaries by 50 per cent, CSOs tell Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to sell the jets in the presidential fleet by a coalition of civil society organisations.

The organisations under the aegis of Say No Campaign Nigeria on Friday said the presidency should not be keeping a large fleet of jets when the country is currently experiencing economic recession.

While speaking with journalists, Chairman of the coalition, Ezenwa Nwagwu said the Federal government should also begin plans for the comprehensive review and audit of constituency projects between 2004 and 2016.

He also said salaries of public officers should be slashed by 50%, stating that it would indicate that the government is committed to bringing about change.

He said, “We are greatly concerned about the unprecedented level of economic hardship bedeviling the nation which has resulted in hunger, deprivation, unemployment, rising cost of essential commodities, unmitigated corruption in public and private institutions, worsening security situation, flagrant abuse of democratic processes and the accompanying failure or refusal by government to effectively address these issues.

“The situation in Nigeria is grim and therefore requires urgent response. While we hold that Buhari’s administration deserves commendation for its social intervention initiative aimed at reducing unemployment, we maintain that a lot more needs to be done, and urgently too to avert the looming economic disaster.

“We demand practical solutions to ameliorating the economic hardship including sale of the presidential jets, which the President promised to do and 50 per cent slash in salaries of public officers. The government should make essential commodities available to vulnerable Nigerians at reduced prices and probe pet projects of First Ladies, which act as conduit.”