The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has disclosed he receives N942,000 as a monthly salary after taxation.

Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State, said he takes no allowance as a minister, except duty allowance when on official trips.

The former senator said this in an interview with Channels TV on Monday, May 1.

He said: “My salary is N942,000 a month. That is salary with my PA. Gross total after tax, my feeding, my transport, the transport of one PA, the salary of my gardener, my cook, they are all consolidated and after heavy taxation, they pay me N942,000.

“Every minister you see, that is what it is, Special Advisers earn around that amount too.

“The allowances are not anything, we don’t have any allowances except if you travel. You can get duty tour allowance like every other public officer.”

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Ngige added that the Federal Government recently reviewed the travel allowance the ministers, permanent secretaries, and government officials are receiving.

“It was reviewed to N100,000 for a minister, and I think Ministers of States, N75,000; Permanent Secretaries, N70,000, and down the line. Level one, everybody else’s own was reviewed, not only our own,” the minister revealed.

Ngige, while speaking on the issue of minimum wage, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will not increase the salaries of workers before leaving office.

He noted that the next administration will address the issue of workers’ salaries after assuming office, saying: “I’m sure that the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will tow the same line and do the necessary fixing.

“He is a finance manager. He managed the finances of Lagos very well. He paid the salaries that needed to be paid and even add the extra payment for the judicial workers in Lagos. I have no fear about that at all.”

Speaking on the challenge of unemployment in the country, Ngige said: “The point is that job creation is a cross-cutting thing. It is not only for the public sector to do. Everybody has it in mind that it is the government that creates jobs.

“If we don’t work in a federal ministry or government agency, we have not got a job. No, the private sector is there.”

The Star