House of Reps slash salaries by half to appease Nigerians prepping for hunger protest  

The House of Representatives has pledged to donate 50 per cent of their salaries for six months to address hunger across the country.

This was made known at a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, on Thursday.

It was learnt that Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu amended the motion, urging his colleagues to sacrifice 50% of their salaries.

“This government is doing its best but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months,” the lawmaker was quoted.

Nigerians have been prepping for protests that will commence from August 1.

The planned protest has been gaining support from many Nigerians, including clerics as Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and Prophet Isa El Buba. Both men urged Nigerians to protest against the current government of President Bola Tinubu if the current hardship persists for more than one week.

In a viral video, Prophet El-Buba berated Tinubu and his ministers for failing to fulfil their promises since the administration came into office in 2023.

He said, “We are citizens of this country. We want to see the action in the next week. Taking a proactive position to end bad government. You must end it. You must rise to the occasion that we are tired as citizens of this country.

“Watching you (referring to President Bola Tinubu), watching the members of your cabinet rolling down this country. Nigeria is blessed and has more than enough to take care of things.”

Gumi last week also urged Nigerians to engage in peaceful protests as a means of conveying their grievances to the government, emphasising that protests are a crucial tool for driving change.