The Senate on Wednesday said it had plans to upgrade the salary scale of staff of the Public Complaints Commission from the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure to the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure.
The upper chamber also said it was seeking a special salary scale for staff of the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
It explained that the CCB and CCT personnel would henceforth earn salaries like the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and those of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission.
The plans were unveiled by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure.
He spoke while presenting his panels report on the agencies 2022 budget, to the Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Akinyelure, said 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
He said, “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 Appropriation 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 “, he said .
He added that the fact that the three systemic anti – graft agencies are under the control of the Senate and by extension, 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 said.
(PUNCH)
