The increase in the pump price of petrol have caused some federal and state civil servants have appealed to both governments to increase workers salary to reduce their hardships.
The workers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Friday in Katsina, said the appeal was necessary because prices of goods and transportation had also skyrocketed.
Malam Abdullahi Balarabe, a Federal Government worker in Katsina, said that following the hike in fuel price, prices of goods had also doubled.
Balarabe said what he normally bought for N200 was now being sold for between N300 and N400, adding that this was constituting a serious challenge to low earning civil servants.
“As you know, despite the increase in the pump price of fuel and the increase in the prices of foodstuffs and other goods, our salaries have remained the same.
“Before the current increase in prices, the salaries of many of us could not even sustain us to the next salary day. Some of us spend our salaries on payment of credits,” he said.
Mr Edwin Michael, also a federal civil servant, said that he had to park his vehicle to walk to office because some of the fuel stations sold petrol for more than N184 a litre.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to do everything possible to increase workers salaries to cover the deficit in our monthly take-home.
“If I now go to the market with my salary I don’t think it will be enough for me to buy what I used to buy before the current increase in the prices of goods,“ he said.
Also, Malam Adamu Ibrahim, a state civil servant, said that the situation was beyond description, adding that only God could intervene.
He said that his salary as an office assistant could hardly sustain him for the month.
Ibrahim also called on the state government to increase the salaries of its workers, especially those at the lower grades.
A visit by NAN to the Katsina Central Market showed that traders had increased the prices of foodstuffs and other goods.
Malam Isma’il Garba, one of the traders, said the increase in the prices of goods was due to the hike in transport fare.
NAN reports that a litre of fuel now sells for between N184 and N220 in petrol stations in the state.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
