Mr Osita Okechukwu, a member of All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), to shelve their proposed strike and key into the Mass Housing Scheme of the Federal Government, and jointly structure long term finance and soft mortgage rates for affordable owner occupier houses for government and private workers nationwide.

Okechukwu also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of urgent national importance, utilise the monies he could have used for increase in salary to fund the new soft mortgage system; hence advancement of the long term finance of Mass Housing Scheme he launched recently with Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

“It is my considered view that arbitrary salary increase would definitely worsen the already spiked inflationary malaise in our dear country. Therefore, the provision of targeted one million owner occupier houses of long term finance and soft mortgage rates structured seamlessly is a Win-Win-Card for all Nigerians. It will be President Tinubu’s foremost legacy.” Okechukwu quipped.

He warned against a repeat of the mistakes of the Jerome Udoji Salary Commission of 1972, popularly called "Udoji award" which unwittingly railroaded Nigeria into dollarised economy.

Okechukwu argued that any arbitrary salary increase now, would spike unbearable inflation and eventually defeat the objectives of salary increase.

He noted that after careful scrutiny of the MOU between the Federal Government and Labour Unions, he couldn’t locate any mention of shelter among the fifteen items; shelter one of 1943 Abraham Maslow’s paper on hierarchy of deficiency needs which actualisation is Rent-Safety-Net for millions of our citizenry.

The former Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) lamented that since some state governments and private firms have been unable to pay the N30,000 minimum wage engraved in law books; what is the guarantee that they have the capacity to pay the new salary increase?

Accordingly, he proposed that the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Ministry of Labour, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Nigeria Employees Consultative Association and other relevant agencies should work out long term finance and new soft mortgage rates for affordable owner occupier houses which will draw funds from the savings accruals of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, plus contributions from banks as stipulated in the National Fund Act and foreign direct investment.

He highlighted the multifaceted Win-Win-Card gains in view of the long term finance and soft mortgage rates of affordable owner occupier houses; among which are attraction of foreign investors, Rent-Safety-Net, unprecedented mass employment, lifting of millions out of poverty, change of work ethics,climate change and curbing insecurity via the immediate transformation of the whole country into busy construction site.

“My take is that immediately the cumbersome nature of accessing mortgage finance is watered down and cheap mortgage rates in place; it will be a new dawn for family’s comfort as the over 20 million housing deficit will be drastically reduced to single digit.” Okechukwu submitted.

Okechukwu once more appealed to NLC and TUC to consider this soft mortgage rates of affordable owner occupier houses and shelve the impending strike for the collective interest of workers nationwide and for peace and unity of our dear country.