Governor Charles Soludo has warned of a potential revolt by poor, hungry Nigerians who watch government officials live fat on public funds.

Mr Soludo stated this on Wednesday at The Platform annual lecture, organised by Poju Oyemade’s The Covenant Nation.

“Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very poor and broke. But the lifestyle of government and government officials does not show it, especially with the obscene flamboyance in public display,” Mr Soludo said. “The poor are hungry and impatient. Let’s not annoy them more with our insensitivity.”

He added, “I agree with Reverend Father Mbaka, who said elected governors should also earn minimum wage. I agree that we should be paid so that we can feel that as well.”

Mr Soludo’s warning to the Nigerian ruling class came amid clamour for a minimum wage increment by the Nigerian Labour Congress and its affiliate unions, given the rising cost of living and spiking food prices due to fuel subsidy removal. 

Last week, NLC and its affiliates staged a nationwide strike to shut down schools, hospitals, airports, ministries, and agencies, cut the national power grid, and disrupt commercial activities across the country. The strike was to force the government to increase the national minimum wage to N250,000.

Meanwhile, several governors have insisted they could not pay the N62,000 proposed by President Bola Tinubu.