In giving bite to the war against corruption within the entire system, the Senate has upgraded the salary scale of staffers of Public Complaints Commission (PCC) from Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPASS) to Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS).
The upper legislative chamber is also seeking for special salary scale for staffers of Code of Conduct Bureau (CBB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in the mode of those being used for operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and those of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The plans were unveiled Wednesday by the Chairman Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP Ondo Central ) while making presentations of the agencies’ 2022 budget to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
According to Akinyelure, 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 by underfunding on yearly basis and in particular, poor salary structure for their workforce.
“While newly recruited University graduates in Public Complaints Commission (PCC) 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.
