Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the House of Representatives, says the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) “lied” to the citizens with the claim that lawmakers got N100 million each as palliative from the federal government.
On Tuesday, Christopher Onyeka, NLC assistant secretary-general, reportedly said members of the National Assembly were paid over N100 million each as palliative to cushion the effect of the petrol subsidy removal.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Akin Rotimi described the claim as “baseless and devoid of any factual accuracy”.
“Transparency and truth in public discourse are necessary for a functioning democracy. While we doubt that Mr. Onyeka was actually conveying the official position of the NLC on this claim, it is nonetheless important to correct such misinformation,” the statement reads.
Rotimi said Onyeka of the NLC “lied” and that his statement was “malicious, irresponsible and issued in bad faith”.
According to him, the NLC assistant secretary-general misrepresented the facts “in a bid to lend credence to otherwise valid demands of the NCL while seeking to denigrate the National Assembly and inciting the public against the institution”.
The Reps spokesperson called on the NLC to immediately retract the statement and tender an apology to the National Assembly.
Rotimi asked the labour union to partner with the legislative institution rather than being an adversary.
