President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he was committed to a new minimum wage for workers in the country. Nigerian workers are demanding for N30,00 as the new national minimum wage, but the Minister of Information has insisted that the President was yet to come out with a specific figure, just as he stressed that the Federal Executive Council, the National Economic Council and the National Assembly would determine the eventual figure that workers would receive as the new national minimum wage. However, state Governors have warned that they do not have the capacity to pay N30,000, while workers have blamed their union leaders for suspending the indefinite strike action, when the Federal Government is yet to accede to the workers' demand. In this interview with Federationews2day, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says a new minimum wage would prevent politicians and the elite from using workers as puns in the looting game. Excerpts :
The actual figure for the new national minimum wage is still not known, even though State Governors have warned that they do not have the capacity to pay N30,000. What are your views ?
We need to appreciate the labour unions' efforts in daring the politicians and government on the issue of the over belated minimum wage
palava,. this is because the labour unions are already polarized, with the air of politics of deceit on the cause of the masses by the various governments, we have given the mandate to rule.
The All Progressives Congress(APC)led government must avoid a repeat of history on the ides of March, symbolically interpreted by the late Dr. Tai Solarin, as the beginning of the end for the then military regime of General Yakubu Gowon. The government must be reminded that their slow motion in taking decisions and carelessness in managing the economy which has direct bearing on the lives of the people, resuscitated the ''dead' Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to become the beautiful bride and sorrowful possible alternative for the poor Nigerians, come 2019 elections.
The government must equally be reminded that in the game of election manipulation the PDP takes the lead, with greater technology, not withstanding the power of incumbency.
Nigerians are afraid, afraid that the APC and PDP might tear Nigeria apart, during the 2019 general elections, taking into cognizance the already overheated polity-militancy, insurgency and terrorism- that have already resulted in the loss of lives and the destruction of property running into millions of Naira.
However, increase in salaries after any meeting agreements need to pass through the due process of law, wherein the National Assembly has to ratify, to be able to justify its inclusion in the budget, this come before the execution of the terms of agreement.
There are also fears that the State Governors might not be willing to pay as experienced in the Paris Club Refunds palliative issues. The labour would have been wholesome with national acceptance, if their demands had included the payment of pension arrears, gratuity and salary arrears of workers and the need to avoid been indebted to workers by government at all levels. There is also the need to step down the salaries of political office holders, most especially the salaries of Senators, the highest paid leaders in the world, would have added feathers to the cap of the agitation. The resolution of the crucial sources of impoverishment of the masses at this critical period of another election would have yielded timely results because the industrial action would have been all encompassing in the face of government's deaf ears.
My appeal to the APC led government, headed By President Buhari, is that they should avoid bureaucratic delay in resolving this issue of workers' interest because the people are dying of hunger and avoidable ailments due to paucity of funds. Any salary received timely by government workers goes directly to the people, right from the market place to the extended families of the Nigerian workers.
Then timely intervention of government on this issue of minimum wage will not only motivate workers, but also boost their morale and efficiency at work for higher productivity.
It will further discourage workers been used as puns in the hands of politicians and their elite allies in the game of kleptocracy, consequently, it will create an environment for the operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt and Other Related Crimes Commission(ICPC) in the government's crusade to exterminate corruption in the land.
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