The Peeps Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State is Gearing Up for a Major Salary Bump
Monthly Salary Plan for Bayelsa PDP Executive Committee Members Sets ₦306 Million Total
According to our sources, the PDP execs in Bayelsa State are prepping for a heftier paycheck starting from May 31st. This juicy nugget was spilled in a communiqué issued by the State's Working Caretaker Committee, following a meeting on a brisk Thursday. The party's acting Chairman, George Turnah, was the one to break the news.
The new salary structure aligns PDP executives with the earnings of Bayelsa State Government appointees. The party felt it was high time their execs, especially the ones at the ward and local government levels, stop scraping by on meager salaries and allowances.
In the communiqué, the committee expressed concern over the unsatisfactory conditions faced by its elected officials, especially the ones at the ward level who received a measly ₦5,000 a month, and the Local Government Area Executives who took home a mere ₦20,000 monthly.
To turn the tide, the committee adopted a revised compensation plan applicable to ward, Local Government Area, senatorial, and state levels, as well as ex-officio and non-working committee members at the state level.
Under this new design, PDP council chairmen will now earn ₦621,000 a month, equivalent to that of a special advisor. The vice chairmen and secretaries will bag home ₦336,000, the same as a senior special assistant's salary in the Bayelsa State Government.
The remaining 15 LG party executive members will earn ₦196,000, equal to the take-home pay of a special assistant.
The planned salary hike is a substantial improvement over the current pay structure, which dishced out ₦50,000, ₦45,000, ₦40,000, and ₦20,000 respectively to the Local Government Party Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and the rest of the 15 members of the Local Government Party Executive Committee.
At the ward level, the proposed salary for the party's ward chairman is set at ₦336,000. The vice chairman and secretary will now earn ₦196,000 each. The remaining 14 members of the ward executive will each earn ₦120,000, similar to the pay of grassroots mobilisation appointees in the state Government.
Senatorial district level elected party officials, as well as non-working committee members of the party at the state level, have been deemed equivalent to special advisers. They will now earn ₦621,000 a month, while members of the State Working Committee shall be on par with cabinet commissioners, collecting a tidy ₦1,048,500 as monthly allowances.
The cumulative wage bill for elected PDP officials in Bayelsa State will now stand at ₦306,496,000 a month. For a party in power in the state, this figure seems reasonable and manageable, and will undoubtedly enhance the effectiveness, well-being, and welfare of elected party officials.
The Acting State Secretary was instructed to relay this new salary structure to Governor Douye Diri for implementation. The State Working Caretaker Committee also requested that the Acting State Secretary communicate this resolution to the party's leader, Sen. Douye Diri, for his action.
- Following the Peeps Democratic Party (PDP)'s decision to enhance the remuneration of its executives, Senator Bola Tinubu, a prominent figure in Nigeria's All Progressives Congress (APC), might consider similar actions for APC executives in light of the political competition between the two parties in Nigeria.
- The revised salary structure of the PDP executives now aligns their earnings with those of Bayelsa State Government appointees, signifying a significant step in the "policy-and-legislation" arena of Nigerian politics.
- Observers note that the General News landscape shows an increasing focus on the working conditions of political office holders across the country, with the PDP's salary hike serving as a potential precedent for other political parties.
- The Peeps Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State's initiative to uplift the salaries of its executives, especially those at the grassroots level, is being closely watched by analysts and the public, as it epitomizes the party's commitment to improving the welfare of its elected officials.
