In a bid to ensure that Nigeria wins the war against corruption, the Senate has upgraded the salary scale of staff of the Public Complaints Commission, PCC from Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure, CONPASS, to Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure, CONLESS.
Similarly, the senate is also seeking for special salary scale for staff of the Code of Conduct Bureau, CBB and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT in the mode of the ones being used for operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and those of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
These plans were disclosed on Wednesday by the chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure while making presentations of the 2022 budget report to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
According to Senator Akinyelure, the three agencies under the oversight purview of the committee were primarily set up to prevent and fight corruption within the system but grossly incapacitated underfunding on yearly basis and in particular, poor salary structure for their workforce.
“While newly recruited university graduates in Public Complaints Commission collects about N60,000 as monthly salary on Grade Level 8 Step 2, their counterparts in EFCC, collects far higher than that.
“As a way of remedying the demoralising situation, the Senate leadership has approved upgrade of the PCC salary scale from CONPASS to CONLESS with attendant better packages.
“As I submitted to the Appropriations Committee and earlier request made to the leadership of the Senate, salary scales for operatives of CCB and CCT, will also be upgraded.
“These are very necessary measures to be taken in giving the required bite to war against corruption in line with the policy thrust of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.”
Senator Akinyelure added that the fact that the three systemic anti-graft agencies are under the control of the Senate and by extension, the National Assembly, required appropriations for adequate funding should be made for them.
“President Buhari meant well as far as the war against corruption and by extension, governance is concerned, but policy makers around him seem not to be on the same page with him.
“Therefore, the National Assembly should step in by way of appropriations, giving the required funds to the deserving agencies,” he stressed.
PIAK
