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Fenerbahce ‘Start Negotiations’ With Mourinho
Fenerbahce have “started negotiations” with Jose Mourinho over their head coach role.
Mourinho, 61, has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January.
Negotiations were revealed by the Istanbul-based club on public disclosure platform KAP, as part of a legal process to alert investors.
Fenerbahce parted company with previous boss Ismail Kartal on Friday, whose side amassed 99 points in the league last season but ended three points behind city rivals Galatasaray.
“Our company has started negotiations with Jose Mario Dos Santos Mourinho Felix for the post of Football A team coach,” the Fenerbahce post read.
“It is announced with respect to our investors.”
Should negotiations be completed, Mourinho’s task will be to help Fenerbahce to a first Super Lig title since the 2013-14 season.
The Portuguese manager has eight league trophies on his CV across four countries, England, Italy, Portugal and Spain – three with Chelsea, two with Inter Milan, two with Porto and one with Real Madrid.
He has also won five major European trophies, including the Champions League with Inter and Porto and Europa League with Manchester United.
Mourinho’s last piece of silverware came with Roma in 2022, when he led them to the Europa Conference League – the club’s first European trophy – and helped them reach the Europa League final the following season, which they lost to Sevilla on penalties.
He was replaced by Daniele de Rossi as Roma boss in January with the club ninth in Serie A – they eventually went on to finish sixth.
Mourinho is due to appear on TNT Sports as a pundit during the broadcaster’s coverage of the Champions League final on Saturday.
Fenerbahce, who have been Turkish champions a record 28 times, have finished runners-up in the past three seasons, with Kartal’s side losing just once and drawing six matches as they failed to stop Galatasaray claiming back-to-back titles.
Sit-at-home agitations treasonable, says Tinubu
• Vows tough action against violent non-state actors
• Directs security agencies to go after Aba killings’ masterminds
President Bola Tinubu talked tough yesterday on the sit-at-home action in the South East, labeling it treasonable.
He warned that decisive sanctions now await violent non-state actors like the gunmen who killed five soldiers at the Obikabia Junction checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State last Thursday.
The soldiers were attacked by people the Defence Headquarters said were members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) during the sit-at-home called by IPOB to mark this year’s Biafra Day.
President Tinubu directed security agencies to fish out the masterminds and executors of the killings as well as those calling for sit-at-home.
The President said the exercise of restraint by security forces in dealing with violent attacks on its personnel should not be mistaken for weakness, pointing out that the federal government would not hesitate to take appropriate action when the lives of its security officers and men are wantonly wasted.
The President who put his thoughts on the constant abuse and attacks on state’s agents by the citizens they have sworn to protect, in a statement he personally authored last night, lamented the recent developments and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and colleagues of the deceased, as well as the nation‘s security forces.
He said: “The slain soldiers were on peacekeeping duty in Aba, Abia State on Thursday when they were murdered, just two months after a similar tragic incident happened in Okuama in Delta State.
“These unwarranted barbaric and evil acts stand condemned and should never be condoned and tolerated in our country.
“I want to make it clear that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the armed forces have the capacity to crush violent non-state actors, making our communities unsafe.
“I urge security agencies not only to fish out the masterminds and perpetrators of the Aba attack but also those calling on people to stay at home. Their action is nothing but a treasonable offence.
“The fact that the security forces are exercising necessary restraints should not be mistaken for weakness.
“We are working to build a peaceful and harmonious society, but nobody should be under any illusion that the government will not act appropriately when the lives of our officers and men are wantonly taken.
“While my condolences go to the families of the five slain soldiers, their colleagues and the leadership of our armed forces, I urge other men and women on peacekeeping duty not to be discouraged by the unfortunate incident in Aba.”
He noted that soldiers and policemen of the country have continued to make sacrifices for the safety of all Nigerians, adding that they do not deserve the sort of attacks on them in some recent isolated cases.
“Our soldiers and the police have the onerous duty to protect all of us from aggressors and non-state actors. Hundreds of them have paid the ultimate price in fulfillment of their duty, while some have experienced the indignity of being manhandled by the people they protect.
“They surely do not deserve the mindless attacks by unruly elements in our society.
“The federal government will come down heavily against those who have made it a habit to needlessly attack the officers and men of our armed forces.
“On no account should anyone, under any guise, have the audacity to kill agents of state.”
Killers of soldiers can’t escape, Abia Police boss vows
Abia State Police Commissioner Kenechukwu Onwuemelie pledged yesterday that the law would definitely take its course in the killing of the soldiers.
Briefing newsmen after an expanded meeting of the state security council and the newly inaugurated members of the State Advisory Council, CP Onwuemelie described the killing as unfortunate and condemnable.
“The point is that it is a very unfortunate incident and it is highly condemnable and, indeed, it is cowardly.
“All I can tell you is that the security agencies, the government of Abia State and all well meaning Nigerians feel very bad about what happened, and everything that needs to be done will be done to ensure that it does not happen again.
“And even if it happens, the law will take its course.”
He called on the citizens and residents of the state to go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation and to be forthcoming in their relationship with security agencies.
He said: “Every now and then, there is no society that is completely immune from security breaches, even the most developed climes.
“So no matter what happens, we must go about our business and we must also continue to improve on what we have put in place to ensure that things don’t get out of hand.”
CP Onwuemelie said the council would continue to engage with the stakeholders and to fashion out measures that would enhance the capacity of various security agencies to deliver on their mandates.
The Defence Headquarters had, on Friday, vowed a fierce and overwhelming response to the killing of the five soldiers.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, said in Abuja that “it is absolutely imperative that the military retaliate against this dastardly act against troops.
“The military would be fierce in its response. We would bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat,” he said.
The State government placed a N25 million bounty on the perpetrators and described the killing as a serious affront to its resolve to ensure security of life and property.
Bauchi Commissioner Dies In Road Crash
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ahmad Jalam, is dead.
Jalam died in an accident that occurred along Bauchi-Jalam expressway in Bauchi on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Governor Bala Mohammed has expressed shock over the death of his longtime confidant who was popularly known as Me Kankana.
In a statement signed by Lawal Muazu, his New Media Aide, the governor said the death left a profound emptiness and cast a pall of mourning over the state.
Mohammed said the deceased was known for his tireless work, dedication and commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) growth in Bauchi.
He extended his condolences to the members of the late commissioner’s family and the people of the state.
He also prayed that the “Almighty Allah forgive Jalam’s shortcomings and grant him eternal rest”.
The governor added that the late commissioner is survived by wives and many children.
The statement said the burial (Janaza) will take place at the deceased’s hometown in Jalam, Dambam Local Government Area by 11am, on Sunday.
[DailyTrust]
‘Lots of men have no agenda in relationship other than sex’ – Tems
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has shared her opinion about the agenda of most men when it comes to relationships.
According to her, a lot of men approach relationships with no agenda other than sex.
The Oscar-nominated diva stated this in the teaser of the upcoming episode of ‘Flow with Korty.’
The host, Korty EO asked, “Have you been in love before?”
Tems replied, “A lot of guys, they are very obvious… There is no agenda but to penetrate.”
The ‘Essence’ crooner also opened up about being constantly misunderstood and bullied because of her reserved nature and how she handled it.
“Everything I did seemed to annoy everybody. They would say, ‘Why are you so slow? Why are you talking so slow? Talk like you are alive.’ And I would say, ‘You are very stupid. Are you crazy?’ I was upset all the time,” she said.
Tems added that she found solace in her musical talent.
[DailyPost]
[OPINION] INEC won’t do better than state electoral commissions - Tonnie Iredia
WILL spousal violence ever go away? Two readers sent in their views recently. One is a married mother of three and the other is a bewildered husband who’s been physically and mentally abused by his wife. “My husband and I were together for nearly ten years,” wrote Ibi, “and he was a violent man who also used cannabis, aka Indian hemp! He would attack me, and the next morning would act shocked and disgusted, claiming he couldn’t remember the incident. He’d promised it would never happen again and swore he’d stop the drink and drugs. He never did.
“But I loved him and chose to believe him every time, though eventually, the truth dawned on me. The abuse was never going to end because he was the only one who could stop it and he didn’t want to. Breaking off the marriage was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My ex tried every trick in the book from emotional blackmail to more violence to try to get me back. But I knew if I stayed I’d have to face the mood swings and violence for the rest of my days, and I wanted more from life than that. The first time a man hits a woman is the hardest, but when they see that you haven’t left them, it becomes as much of a habit as cannabis. Every time they feel angry or frustrated, the answer is to lash out and believe me, it only gets worse.
“I know deep down that my husband loves me and our children, but he loves cannabis more. At first I was terrified and didn’t think I’d cope on my own but thanks to friends and family who witnessed a bit of the violence, I’ve been able to pick up the pieces of my life. I’ve since retrained and have a better job. My husband (we’re not divorced yet) lives with another woman but I feel nothing but relief at getting him off my back. I now know that there is a better life out there but you have to go and get it, it won’t come and find you. This is a fact abused people, male or female, have to face.”
Nuru’s text to me was disturbing. “I don’t know who I really got married to – a saint or the devil?” Intuitively, I picked him as the few readers of this column to have a chat with. “What happened to your marriage?” I asked him. “My wife, who I’d been married to for almost 20 years suddenly, turned into a monster”, he said. “It started at the beginning of 2012. She suddenly grew snappy. If I were late home she’d sulk or even swear at me. When I asked her what the matter was, she would swat my hand away. I didn’t have a clue as to why she suddenly became abusive. After some miscarriages we’d gone on to have two beautiful sons. Even after I lost my mother, she was a pillar of strength.
“So what got into her? There was a time I was in our bedroom watching TV when she barged inside. ‘I’m sick of your hiding in the bedroom watching football’, she roared. ‘But you always watch your favourite programmes in the sitting room’, I stammered, shaken. I tried to talk to her in her sober moments and it was then I learnt she’d been losing weight and feared she might have cancer. I took her to the doctors and thankfully, she didn’t have cancer only the onset of menopause. I was warned her behaviour could be erratic as a result, so I made a point of spoiling her, she was alright for a while until a few weeks after when she yelled at me, saying she couldn’t stand the sight of me. She said she wanted opt out of the marriage. I was shocked.
“Then she changed and started being nice all over again – cooking my best meals and was having an improved love life. But it didn’t last. The next time we had a row, she went into the kitchen and came at me with a knife! Blood was oozing from a wound on my arm, soaking my shirt as I scrambled to get away from her, ‘I hate you, I’m going to kill you,’ she howled. She attacked me again and I managed to get out of the house and sped off to the hospital. After I was stitched up, I couldn’t go home. Visions of my wife’s hate-filled face flashed through my mind. Our two boys were bewildered by it all and went to stay with their uncle a few streets away. In the end I went home, bracing myself for the worst, but she’d already left with some of her things.
“I immediately changed the locks in the house and told the night guard not to let her in. I also informed the men guarding the street gates she was no longer living with me – I didn’t want a situation where I would be stabbed to death in my own house! My family insisted I divorce her and since we had a traditional marriage, I took her to the customary court. I was sure she wouldn’t attend the hearing, but she was there, her hair well groomed and she was wearing a well tailored dress. She looked like a saint. ‘Who was this stranger?’ I thought? She admitted wounding me but regretted her action. Her defence was that she had been through a string of traumatic experiences – her cancer scare and the death of my mother, Shuo! The health scare was quickly resolved and it was my mother who died – not hers! But she claimed it was these factors that made her depressed. She then told the customary court judge, with tears in her eyes, that she felt such remorse after attacking me, she’d wanted to kill herself. Speaking passionately, she told the judge: “I’m not a dangerous woman, nor a wicked one. I am a good mother who’s been deprived of any access to my children,’ I fumed. What children? Our two sons are adults and were free to see her if they so wished, but she’d been nasty towards them too and they confessed they couldn’t cope with who their mother had now turned into. The judge wanted to know if there was any chance of reconciliation and I shook my head. The woman in the dock wasn’t the one I married and it would be suicidal to take her back!”
“So how are you now?” I asked Nuru. “Do you miss your wife in any way?” “I missed the woman I was married to,” he said, a bit confused. “What I need answers to is, what made her change all of a sudden? It’s the not knowing that hurts. Will she be the first woman to go through the menopause, to lose a mother-in-law or to get cancer scare? For years she was a perfect wife but it was the same perfect wife who plunged a knife into me, and I will never understand why…”
So what makes a seemingly perfect wife go round the bend without any apparent reasons? Nuru believed his ex wife had a Jekyll and Hyde personality, with the scale tipping dangerously towards the “Hyde” attitude as she grows older. She obviously knew a wrong force had controlled her life, or she wouldn’t have made efforts to look presentable before the judge. If only she sought help. There are drugs and hormonal treatments to curb mood changes. They’re temporary measures until victims are confident enough to take control of their lives once again.
Reps plan special parliamentary seats for women -Deputy speaker
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that the House is deliberating on a bill aimed at reserving special seats for women in parliament.
Kalu made this announcement at the 2nd Women of Divine Destiny Initiative Inspiring Women Summit (2024) in Owerri, Imo State.
The summit, themed “Illuminating the Power of an Inspired Woman,” focused on empowering women to achieve their dreams.
WODDI, a non-profit organisation, was founded by the wife of former Imo State Governor, Dr. Nkechi Rochas Okorocha.
The Deputy Speaker highlighted that the bill, titled the “Seat Reservation Bill,” was recently introduced in parliament and is co-sponsored by himself and several colleagues.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to allocate special seats for women in the legislature. Kalu emphasized that, if passed, the bill would significantly advance women’s representation in politics.
“We must acknowledge, however, that in a society striving for equitable development, addressing fundamental issues like gender equality and inclusiveness is imperative.
“In Nigeria, where women and girls constitute 49.32% of our population, representation in institutions and governance needs urgent attention. Presently, the House of Representatives is considering a bill to improve the representation of women in our legislative institutions, sponsored by myself and other colleagues,” Kalu stated.
He also highlighted the efforts of the Peace In South East Project, a social development initiative prioritizing gender issues.
He praised Dr. Nkechi Rochas Okorocha for organising the summit and urged participants to fully unleash their potential, now that they have been rightly motivated.
[Punch]
24 hours to Strike: Labour talks tough, FG begs
•Says action won’t end until Minimum Wage agreement is signed
•Oil, electricity, maritime, financial, and other critical sector unions warm up
Less than 24 hours after to start of the nationwide strike over a new national minimum wage and hike in electricity tariff, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has directed its state councils across the country to ensure total compliance.
This came to light on a day unions in the oil, electricity, financial and other critical sectors pledged total support for the indefinite strike declared by NLC and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC.
Recall that the two labour centres, last Friday, announced an indefinite nationwide strike from tomorrow (Monday) over the government’s failure to agree on a new national minimum wage and reverse the recent hike in electricity tariff.
NLC and TUC leaders had, on Workers Day, celebrations given the Federal Government a May 31 deadline to conclude the negotiations on a new national minimum wage or risk nationwide industrial unrest.
The tripartite committee on a new National Minimum Wage set up by the government failed to make a decision on a new national minimum wage after about four meetings.
Labour leaders had walked out of the meetings three times after rejecting government and the Organised Private Sector, OPS, offers.
Incidentally, the last walkout on Friday happened on a day the deadline labour gave the government to conclude a new minimum wage lapsed, as the old minimum wage of N30,000 that was signed into law by former President Muhammad Buhari on April 18, 2019, expired on April 18, 2024.
Earlier on May 31, organised labour negotiators had walked out of the meeting for a third time, over the refusal by government to make a new offer beyond the N60,000 it put forward.
It was gathered that the negotiations hit a brick wall when the government and the organised private sector, OPS, remained adamant on the N60,000 offers they made earlier on Tuesday.
Recall that organised labour’s negotiating team had, Tuesday May 28, for the second time in two weeks, walked out of the committee meeting after the federal government increased its offer to N60,000 from the N57,000 it offered on May 22.
Labour’s negotiating team had, on May 15, walked out of the tripartite committee meeting after the government offered N48,000 and Organised Private Sector, OPS, offered N54,000, against the N615,000.
Directive to state councils
NLC, in a circular by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, to all its state councils, among others, said “This is to inform you of the commencement of the proposed indefinite nationwide strike beginning on Monday, June 3, 2024, as a result of the failure of the Nigerian state to agree on a new national minimum wage and subsequently pass it into law before the end of this month as they were notified; Reverse the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law to N225/kwh back to N66/kwh and Stop the apartheid categorisation of Nigerian electricity consumers into Bands.
“We kindly request all State Councils to mobilise all their affiliates and members across the state to stay away from work commencing Midnight, this Sunday to ensure a comprehensive closure of all workplaces.
“Do please, set up joint Action Committees with the Trade Union Congress in your state for effective coordination of the strike action. We would be glad to receive continuous updates of your effort. Do remember that the success of this action is dependent on our collective determination and resolve.”
No agreement, no end
Also speaking on whether organised labour will call off action should government call and offer a higher amount, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero said: “Government can only call for a continuation of the negotiation not by an award. They can’t say come, we are giving you this. We have to sit down and negotiate from where we are today. It is like calling us tomorrow to say let us continue with the negotiation. Now we will negotiate from there, but not to call us to say we are giving you N10 or N20, that will be out of the concept of negotiation.
“Calling us does not mean agreement. Until we sign an agreement on what is mutually agreeable by the parties, action will be on. But action is not such that we will not equally negotiate, because the two parties are now going to negotiate under duress. We are under pressure. That is the meaning of this. So the earlier we resolve it, the better for us.”
On mobilisation at the state level, Ajaero said: “When you hear the National Executive Council, NEC, of any labour centre, it comprises all the states and all the unions. That is the situation, and that is where we got this mandate.
“You equally witnessed it on May Day when all workers gathered nationwide, and this pronouncement was made. In fact, it was a public one. it is not like there were two or three people. It was mass based.
“As of today, there is no minimum wage for Nigerian workers. Technically, the minimum wage had expired on the 18th of April. As of now, we are operating without any law backing up the minimum wage. They were talking about a 100 per cent increase. That is what they have offered, but the 100 per cent increase amounts to one loaf of bread per day for 30 days .They are not looking at the quality or the value of what they are offering to us.
“Those are the issues that we are looking at and all of us must address it because it is tight. There is nobody that can move on with this arrangement being done with inflation and devaluation. Everything is open.
“If we take even the N600,000 we are proposing today, by next week, it will not make any impact. So, we have to look at them holistically and see what we can do to save the working class in Nigeria. We are not doing a strike that will be one month without a bite. I’m not sure where you have labour centres in a country embarking on a strike for one month and you don’t listen to them.
“What we will be praying for is for the people who are suffering so much because they are some of our people. That was why we were reluctant. That was why we were virtually telling them to let us find a solution.
“When we were in the meeting today (yesterday) we told them we have to be here and allow you to go and get a mandate. We are ready to sleep here to allow you to get a mandate to come back to this meeting. They said no, we should just allow them whenever they get a mandate. That it is difficult to see even the President and that they do not have access and all that. Then they did not come out with anything. We found ourselves in a helpless situation. So, that is where we are now. Everybody should be patient with us.”
Critical sector workers
Meanwhile, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE, and other critical sector unions have already written to their members to ensure total compliance.
NUPENG
In a circular to all levels of the union leaders, NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, said: “We bring you fraternal greetings from the National Secretariat of our great union.
“This is to notify all our members and branches in all oil and gas installations, operations and services including distribution and marketing of petroleum products, that our great union is fully committed to ensuring total compliance with the directive of the Nigerian Labour Congress issued on Friday, May 31, 2024, for an indefinite nationwide strike commencing from Monday, June 3, 2024. “As a union, we are deeply concerned and disturbed with the insensitive and irresponsive attitude of the federal government to the very critical issue of negotiating a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers in view of the various social economic policies of this administration that have impoverished the working people of this country.
“Leaders of our great union at all levels, from the units, Zones and Branches, should immediately put all processes in place to ensure total compliance with this directive Our solidarity remains constant because the union makes us strong. The struggle continues. And we shall overcome.”
NUBIFIE
Similarly, NUBIFIE, in a directive by its President and General Secretary, Abakpa Sheikh, said: “This is to inform all NUBIFIE organs that NLC has directed all its affiliates to commence an indefinite strike beginning from Monday, June 3, 2024. The import of the strike is to compel the federal government to agree on a new national minimum wage and subsequently pass it into law before the end of this month as they were notified, reverse the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law to N225/kwh back to N66/kwh and Stop the apartheid categorization of Nigerian electricity into Bands.
“In total compliance with the directives from the NLC, you are hereby directed to mobilize for effective participation in your respective Zonal Councils/Domestic Committee and ensure total compliance.
Electricity workers
Also, a notice by the President and Acting General of NUEE, Adebiyi Adeyeye and Dominic Igwebike, said “With reference to the circular from NLC dated May 31, 2024, we are to mobilise and embark on an indefinite nationwide strike starting Monday, June 3, 2024, by 0.00hour due to the following failure of the Nigerian government to implement and sign into law the new national minimum wage on or before 31st May 2024, Non-reversal of the electricity tariff which was hiked from N65/kwh to N225/kwh without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law and Apartheid categorization of Nigeria electricity consumers into bands.
“Given the above, all National, State, and Chapter executives are requested to start the mobilization of our members in total compliance with this directive to ensure the Government does the right thing as stated above.
“You are encouraged to work with the leadership of State Executive Councils (SEC) of the Congress in your various states to have a successful action. The withdrawal of services becomes effective Sunday 2nd June by 12.00 midnight.”
Maritime workers
In the same vein, the President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, in a statement through the union’s head of Media, John Ikemefuna, directed members in the nation’s ports “to comply with the directive of both NLC and TUC to join in the indefinite total lockdown of the country commencing from Monday, June 3, 2024.
“The indefinite nationwide strike has become very imperative, given the failure of the federal government on the logjam and the inconclusive national minimum wage negotiation and refusal to reverse the hard biting hike in electricity tariff.
“Given the foregoing, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has directed its members in all ports nationwide, jetties, terminals, oil & gas platforms to effectively ensure the total compliance of the strike as directed by the NLC and TUC. This is also to serve as notice to all our concerned stakeholders in the Maritime sector.”
[Vanguard]
[OPINION] Historical review Nigeria’s national minimum wage - Abayomi Fawehinmi
In January 2024, the federal government inaugurated a 37-member tripartite committee to review the National Minimum Wage. As of today, the committee has not agreed on the new rate but, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have given the federal government a deadline of May 31 to develop a new national minimum wage.
What is interesting about the discussions about minimum wage has been the tension within the employer group, particularly within the public sector. In recent years, the state governments have argued against higher minimum wages because they believe they cannot afford them. On the other hand, the federal government always proposed a higher rate than the State Governments.
According to the Awolowo Foundation, Late Awolowo ” introduced and successfully implemented the first minimum wage policy in Nigeria and paid to Western Nigerians from October 1954 a minimum wage that was double the amount paid to workers of the same level in some other parts of Nigeria.” So, before independence, Awolowo had introduced a minimum wage to the Western Region. While the Western Region paid 5 shillings and six pence as minimum wage to workers, workers in the North earned only two shillings and eight pence.
The Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as President of Action Group and Premier of Western Region in June 1959, complained about “…the refusal of the Federal Government to introduce a policy of 5 pounds Minimum Wage”. He said this “has led to anomalies which must be most depressing and shattering to those concerned. Federal workers employed in the Western Region, for instance in the Post and Telegraphs and the Moor Planation, who work side by side, live in the same sort of houses and buy from the same markets with Western Region workers, get less in wages than the latter independence. ”
Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo made the fixing of a National Minimum wage a campaign issue. Speaking at a Press Conference held in the Premier’s Office, Ibadan, on Thursday, June 4, 1959, Chief Obafemi Awolowo said, “The Action Group and its Allies will terminate this inhuman and uneconomic state of affairs during the first six months in office and in any case, well before the day of independence. All workers employed by the Federal Government will be paid five pounds Minimum Wage with effect from October 1, 1959. At the same time, a law will be enacted by the Federal Parliament stipulating a National Minimum wage not below 5 Pounds, which must be paid by all employers of Labour in Nigeria.” Chief Obafemi Awolowo lost in the 1959 elections to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa KBE PC, Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister. The Prime Minister didn’t do anything about the Minimum wage law, delaying the dream of a National Minimum wage. So, before Independence, the federal government didn’t support a national minimum wage, but the regions pushed for it.
The first National minimum wage law was signed into law by the Late President Shagari in September 1981. This law was prompted by the advocacy of the Nigerian Labour Congress, which was led by the late Hassan Sunmonu. This new law covered all full-time workers except seasonal workers and those who worked in enterprises employing fewer than 50 workers. The wage was 125 naira per month. Using the exchange rate of US$1 = 0.61 naira as of 1981, this wage was about US$204. At the 2024 exchange rate, that amount paid as minimum wage in 1981 would be equivalent to about 265,000 naira (going by the current exchange rate of about US$1 = 1,300 naira). The current national minimum wage is N30,000 (US$24) a month. So, the minimum wage in 1981 was over eight times more than the current minimum wage.
Fixing the minimum wage is a constitutional issue in Nigeria. The current constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made fixing the national minimum wage an item in the Exclusive list. Therefore, it can only be legislated upon by the National Assembly and not the state assemblies. So, while the Western region started a minimum wage, we have transformed this idea that was a regional initiative into one that only the Federal Government could determine. Are we the better for it?
From 1981 to 2018, Nigeria’s minimum wage changed three times. In 2000, it was increased to N5500. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan signed a new National Minimum Wage into law. The new law increased the minimum wage from N7,500 to N18,000. This new law applied to public or private sector employers with a workforce of about 50 persons.
The Government started the review of the National Minimum Wage in 2019. The unions demanded N30,000 per month as the National Minimum wage, the Federal Government proposed N24,000 and state governors N20,000. In January 2019, the National Council of State approved the sum of N 27,000.00 as the minimum wage, but the Governors counter–offered the sum of N 22,500.00. The NLC rejected the offer, but later proposed the sum of N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira). This amount was accepted by the Federal Government, leading to the enactment of the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 in March 2019. The new national minimum wage was approved and signed by former president Muhammadu Buhari. The new law increased the national minimum wage from N 18,000 to N30,000 monthly.
In 2024, discussions about a New Minimum wage are ongoing.
I want to draw these conclusions based on the history of minimum wage reviews in Nigeria.
First, most wage reviews happened under democratic rule, as opposed to when Nigeria was under Military rule.
Second, the states or regions usually view minimum wage differently from the federal government. In 2019, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum NGF and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, said: “We made it clear that we are not against the upward review of salary, we are in tandem with the NLC to get the minimum wage reviewed but the problem we are having is the capacity to pay what is agreed. As at today, most of the states are struggling to pay the N18,000 minimum wage. Some states are paying between 35 to 50 percent of the minimum wage and some states are owing salary. …it is not about only reviewing it but how we are going to get the resources to cater for it.”.
Third, negotiations on the minimum wage take a long time.
Fourth, while the Labour Unions ask for a minimum wage based on the economic realities of the time, the government proposes the minimum wage using the ability-to-pay principle.
Fifth, while the Private sector participates in the negotiations, it has a limited role compared to the others.
Sixth, local governments are not represented in the negotiations about the minimum wage.
Seventh, there is rarely an agreed amount that all parties commit to pay. In January 2019, the Zamfara State Governor, Abubakar Yari, also the Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman, warned the National Assembly against passing a new National Minimum Wage that would be difficult for states to pay because it was not realistic. He said, “It is easy to call figures, but when it comes to implementing in the field, it becomes a problem. Only Lagos can afford the N30,000 as minimum wage, not even Rivers can afford to pay that much.”
Eight, while the Minimum Wage Act always has an enforcement mechanism, nobody cares about enforcing the wage. Sections 9, 10, and 15 of the Act listed various offences. Section 10 (2) of the Act states that “an employer is liable upon conviction of such offence to a fine not exceeding N75,000.00 (Seventy-Five Thousand Naira) and an additional penalty of N10,000.00 (Ten thousand Naira) or less for everyday that the offence continues”. Offenses in section 15 of the Act attract a maximum fine of N250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 (six) months or both. In Section 11 of the Act, The Minister may authorize any officer to enforce the provisions of the Act. Section 12 empowers the Ministry of Labour and Employment and National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission to monitor the implementation of the NMW in line with the provisions of the Labour Act and the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commissions Act. Section 13 of the Act empowers an aggrieved worker, trade unions, and the Minister to enforce any part of the Act. But I am not aware that anyone has enforced the law. Perhaps the worst culprits are the state governments. As of October 2023, BudgIT stated that 15 states did not pay the N30,000 minimum wage fixed by the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2019.
Ninth, some states have announced a new minimum wage for civil servants. For example, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, approved a new wage of N70,000 to take effect on May 1, 2024. Also, since January, the Lagos State Government has been paying civil servants an N35,000 wage award directed by the Federal Government. While Lagos claims it has not increased the minimum wage, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said: “The civil servants and all public officers, they know that since January we have continued to pay the wage allowance of minimum of N35,000 over and above what they were earning before. People that were earning a minimum of N35,000 to N40,000 before, they are now earning over N70,000. ”
Ten, Chief Awolowo introduced the Minimum wage in Nigeria. It was a regional idea, and the regions paid better than the Federal Government.
Nigeria is currently negotiating a new minimum wage. However, we are still using similar templates, processes, methods, and negotiation styles to fix the National Minimum wage to what we have used in the past. This raises the question: will we get any better results? Would we get a wage that will make a real difference to workers?
We need to have an honest conversation about the Minimum wage. Do we want to fix any amount as the minimum wage, or do we want a wage that will be affordable to employers and reasonable enough to improve the livelihood of the workers? Until we resolve this question, we will keep fixing minimum wages that many employers will refuse to pay, and even when they pay, the wage will make no difference to most workers.
[OPINION] Tinubu’s bragging right and his 200 needles - Festus Adedayo
In Africa, when a man loses his virility, he is subject to scorn, ridicule and disdain. Male impotence or infertility is not only disdained but tabooed. In a continent where child-making is almost an obsession, Africa couched some hurtful epithets for one who loses his virile member. Failure to get this critical member to stand up leaves sour overtones of frustration, pain, social ostracism, stigma, marital instability, discomfiture and even sometimes, suicide.
Among the Yoruba, virility victims are named Okobo. The rural Shona tribe in the Mhondoro-Ngezi area of Zimbabwe could not stand the virility challenge. To ward off this evil spirit from their tribe, they deployed socio-cultural intervention strategies to ward it off. To do this, they devised indigenous systems of monitoring signs of impotence during infancy, puberty and even after marriage.
Moyo Stanzia of the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, in her “Indigenous knowledge systems and attitudes towards male infertility in Mhondoro-Ngezi, Zimbabwe” (Culture, Health & Sexuality, 2013 Vol. 15, No. 6, 667–679) attempted a study of the Okobo in this Zimbabwean village. One of her informant interviewees, 69-year-old Ruzvidzo, volunteered his experience thus: “Traditionally, our uncles and grandfathers would take us away from home to a river with clear water. We were forced to masturbate and ejaculate our sperm in the clear water, one after the other. This was done to test the quality of sperm. It was understood that fertile sperms would sink in the water. However, if the sperms floated, it meant that the individual was weak and could be infertile – a problem regarded as requiring strategic intervention.”
Ousmane Sembene’s XALA (1975) film, considered one of the most successful films by the Senegalese writer and filmmaker, also explored the thematic preoccupation with the Okobo. Sembene uses sexual zero virility as a metaphor. Situated among Black Africa’s growing middle class of Senegal, Sembene weaves their challenge into the projection that they are doomed to lose their power unless they delink the Western world and identify with Africa and its masses. The film’s protagonist, El Hadji Abdoukader Beye, a successful middle-aged polygamous businessman, is preparing to take a third wife. On his wedding night, he suddenly discovers he cannot get his member up. Attributing this to a spell cast on him, he consults witch doctors. El Hadji’s Senegalese society ties social prestige to status symbols, which collectively speaks to the ability to show manhood. This means satisfying one’s wife sexually and economically. Zero virility leads to El-Hadji being expelled from the Chamber of Commerce and confiscation of his most prized possessions. He finds out that a Dakar beggar he cheated on several years back laced him with the spell. The beggar agrees to remove the spell only if he strips naked and he (the beggar) and his friends spit on him.
In a piece I wrote that tangentially discussed male virility, (Atiku Abubakar and the sexual history of the Nigerian presidency, February 6, 2022) I related how rumours once had it that Zimbabwean former Prime Minister and presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, suffered “a nasty blow from below,” euphemism for zero virility. The news spread like bushfire. At about the same time, the virility-restoring prowess of Emmanuel Makandiwa, a ‘miracle-working’ Pentecostal prophet, froze the stratosphere like snowflakes in winter. The estranged wife of Tsvangirai, Elizabeth Macheka, had lit the fire. In an interview, she granted The Herald, entitled, Why I ditched Tsvangirai: Wife, Macheka said she separated from Tsvangirai due to ‘sensitive personal issues’ and that this was known to her and Tsvangirai alone and only the two of them could resolve it.
For a Zimbabwean public that salivated by riveting gossip and rumours in high and low places, Macheka’s statement was the confirmation it needed for a high-quality rumour. In whooshing whispers and mouth-to-ear transmission, the former prime minister was said to have been afflicted by an “under-neath,” below-the-trousers problem of ‘erectile dysfunctional disorder.’ The Herald did not also help matters. It immediately tagged what Macheka dubbed ‘sensitive personal issues’ as ‘a medical one.’ Thereafter, Fungai Machirori, Zimbabwean journalist and blogger, did a salacious piece on the issue she entitled, Of Penises, Politics and Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe, an essay which she called an “exposé of trouble in the un-paradise that is Tsvangirai’s love life’’
Among the Yoruba, the Okobo is the butt of crude jokes. He is also called the Akura, one whose member had died. One of Akura’s characteristics is hyperactivity. If a man, like one on steroids, does the job of ten people at a go, Yoruba wonder if he is an Akura. When there is a trust deficit between two people, and every action becomes suspicious, my people find a way to drag the Okobo into the conversation. So, they say, what we demanded of the sexually sterile is to penetrate but he boasts that, in a twinkle of an eye, he could make a thread penetrate 200 needles in the dark. In its rawest form, they render this as, “nkan ti won ni ki Okobo bo, ko bo; igba abere l’olohun le bo l’okun.” In a chapter I wrote in the book, Indigenous African Popular Music, Vol 1 edited by Biodun Salawu and Israel Fadipe, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) which I entitled, “Corpus of Prophecy, Philosophy and Crusading in Ayinla Omowura’s Music,” I explored the Okobo theme in the music of the late Yoruba Apala musician. In one of his vinyl, while trying to denounce charges of piracy of songs levelled against him by his colleague musicians, Ayinla magisterially replied that the mockery of a man afflicted by the venereal disease, gonorrhoea does not lie in the mouth of the sexually sterile. Only a virile man can contract gonorrhoea. He sang, “abosi alatosi ko si l’owo okobo…”
Last Wednesday, the rumour became real. President Bola Tinubu signed into law the bill to revert Nigeria to its old national anthem. By the way, even Tinubu’s supporters clothed themselves in sackcloth and ashes last week. They were probably reinventing the old Jewish response to devastating news concerning their race. It is the Jewish practice of showing intense grief and distress. The Tinubu supporters’ valiant war hero, who they boasted that, at each of his dancing steps while returning from a war of conquest as eight-year governor of Lagos state, the crowd dashed him slaves (ajogb’eru), to their chagrin, now dances and all he gets is miserable cornmeal (ajogb’eko). As our elders say, to find out how melodious or sour the rhythm of the Bata drum is, we should ask the Sango deity devotee whose god is the totem of the Bata drum. So, opinion samplers, recognising that Nigerians are the Sango devotees and Tinubu, the Bata drummer, approached the common people to rate the melody of Tinubu’s one-year drumming. The opinion moulders didn’t go to the IMF. Nor to the Nigerian elite who, like bedbugs, drain quality blood from the Nigerian body.
One such opinion sampler was the Africa Polling Institute (API). It did a Citizens Assessment Report of Tinubu’s one year as president. It reported that there was a stark reality of hunger, poverty and mass dissatisfaction. 84% of people overwhelmingly expressed profound sadness with the Tinubu presidency, 81% felt Nigeria under him is headed in the wrong direction, 36% identified hunger, 28% inability to meet basic needs, 13% riled against unemployment, 9% insecurity and 5% poor electricity as the bane of his government. All in all, they agreed that the last year has been one of misery, pain, lies and grandstanding. In earlier pieces I did, I alerted Nigerians that some qualities were exclusive preserves of the typical Lagos Boy. He is bold and brash, rather than courageous; he is dismissive of others’ feelings and believes he can wangle his way through the toughest of all calamities by deploying subterfuge.
Amid a plethora of Nigerian people’s agony, last Sunday, the Lagos Boy flew into Lagos. It was the flag-off ceremony of the highly demonised Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. Many commentators have concluded that, in the ₦15 trillion road construction, you do not have to drill too deep down to see an army of maggots wriggling their milk-coloured bodies to the Bata drum being beaten by Tinubu and his Gilbert Chagoury business associate contractor. Rather than join the Nigerians in this sackcloth and ashes week, that Sunday, Tinubu dismissively looked into the eye of the camera and pronounced, “Today is my day to boast. My bragging day. Today, I hold the bragging right.” Now, I pray thee – apologies to students of the biblical Old Testament – which leader brags when his people go to bed hungry?
The president then capped this contempt for the longsuffering people of Nigeria with the signing of the National Anthem Bill. To the people, ipso facto, he instantly became that proverbial Okobo who boasted that he could insert thread into 200 needles in the dark. On the streets of Nigeria, the people’s disgust with Tinubu’s hyperactivity and the supersonic speed with which he signed the bill made him that sterile man. Against the general wish that he should consummate the relationship with Nigerians, President Okobo boasted that he could get the thread to penetrate the eye of the needle.
Let’s be clear, national anthems are a people’s property. They keep the goals of heroes alive. This is done by transmitting culture and history to new generations, as well as establishing a close connection with the people’s ancestors. Anthems espouse passion, look into the people’s past and rally them into the future. It is a people’s identity symbol unique to them, specifying their way of life, their culture and worldview. Anthems also create bonds, and for citizens, they reinforce national goals. To some scholars, anthems even do more. They serve to embody collective memories of heroes who died to have a nation and the values they left behind. The wordings of anthems are carefully and emotionally constructed in such a way as to ensure that they can boost collective identification of a country’s self-identity, national history, values, bloody memory of war, heroism and victory. It could be memories of colonisation or (de)coloniality but they clearly distinguish one nation from another.
You can know what makes a people thick by looking at the lyrics, rhythms and themes of their anthems. Anthems define the core values and convictions of a people. Adopted at independence in 1960, Nigeria’s first anthem, which Tinubu just legislated back to recognition, has become a subject of high national rage. Written by Lillian Jean Williams in 1959 and composed by Frances Berda, the anthem, which began with “Nigeria, we hail thee,” was replaced in 1978 by another that was themed around patriotism. Having its verse beginning with “Arise, O Compatriots,” this 1978 anthem’s music was said to have been composed by Benedict Elide Odiase, director of music of the Nigerian Police Band.
Historically, national anthems began in 14th-century Britain. The Netherlands is reputed with the oldest anthem composed in 1568. Its music was from a popular French tune. Those who composed Britain’s “God Save the Queen/King” and Russia’s “God Save the Czar” in 1744 and 1745 respectively were not known because those compositions were regarded as sacred.
While Nigerian independence was a collective fight against Britain for freedom so that the people’s customs, rituals and the like could survive, alongside their diverse tribes, cultures, languages, and religious groups, the “Nigeria we hail thee” anthem reflects this. Many people have however deplored the derogative reference to Nigerians as “natives” in that anthem. They claim that, in the year 2024, what Nigeria needs most is the patriotism of the “Arise o compatriots” and not tribes and tongues that differ. This, in the people’s submission, has, in 64 years of independence, become a given. While both anthems are important bonding icons, one mirrors political sovereignty more than the other. The 1958 anthem, written by a Briton, does not rally citizens for the task of showing loyalty to the state. This is a trait that has disappeared among Nigerians. The anthem however underscores servile abidance. All over the world, governments devise means through which citizens can show loyalty and patriotism to the state. Methinks, if patriotism is what the Tinubu government demands of Nigerians, there was no need to do away with “Arise o compatriots.”
The stark reality that confronts Nigerians is that successive leaders have made the country such that, rather than hail Nigeria, the country is wailed, according to a poet, “for (Nigeria’s) fallen fences eaten by termites and (her) lifeblood sucked dry” by politicians and soldiers. It is a country in the hands of embezzlers of national patrimony, corrupt officials and a post-independent Nigerian state where endemic poverty, starvation, fear of disintegration, and false and feigned freedom from colonialists, reign.
In the words of famous Oyo state broadcaster, Edmund Obilo, it is not the national anthem that makes a nation great. It is the integrity, vision and selflessness of its leadership. A corrupt, wicked and uninspiring leadership cannot conjure patriotism, no matter how eloquent the lyrics of its anthem. Let Tinubu and his economic henchmen not continue on this path of the Okobo by leaving leprosy and seeking to cure eczema. Let them make life livable for the people; embody the values of transparency, accountability and justice, in the words of the inimitable broadcaster. Nigerians cannot see these values of leadership anywhere in Aso Rock. They see a bizarre anthem reversal as the usual antic of a fiddling Nero in a burning Nigeria.
Aso Rock inside Kudeti River
The poor governance of the last year is getting at President Bola Tinubu. He needs our collective pity. It is making him depressed, enough to enter into what lawyers call forum shopping. Today, Aso Rock is clutching at straws. Its case is akin to that of the proverbial man inside raging waters which have overwhelmed him. The tidal wave is angry and is threatening to envelop the non-initiate, the Ogberi who jumped into the Kudeti River assuming it was a mere steady flow of run-off water. To overcome the anger of Kudeti, Tinubu throws tantrums, accusations and all-what-ought-nots as straws to salvage his drowning.
Last Thursday, the president met Northern leaders, the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. As things later turned out, the meeting was aimed at concretising, in the minds of Nigerians, the suit instituted by the federal government against the 36 state governors at the supreme court. Specifically, Tinubu wanted the leaders to pressure their state governors to account for their responsibilities. Fantastic. Like a grumpy schoolboy boxed to a corner, the president told the Northern elders that, while he was doing his utmost to raise the nation’s revenue, sub-national governments must make the needs of the locals the centrepiece of their governance.
“We are running a constitutional democracy. I will appeal to you to summon the governors. I am doing my very best to enhance the revenue base of the country. They must equally be sympathetic, and they must urgently consider the needs of the local people. People reside in the local communities. That is where they work, farm, and live. If the local governments are not effective in delivering services; as leaders, we must not hang on to the numbers. We have 774 local government areas, but are they truly effective? Do they solve problems for Nigerians? Do they coordinate development programming with the state and federal governments?” he asked, throwing rhetoric into the debate.
The president also asked for accountability in the performance of the 774 local governments. “Maybe we should look at recalibrating. What was good four years ago may not be good today. When we want the votes, we go to the locals; when we get the votes, we move to and focus on Abuja,” he said pleadingly.
Since 1999, Nigerians have confronted sub-national governments that they accuse of performing beneath their optimal level. They also, in fact, accuse them of tampering with the stupendous cash that goes into their tills. Heads of those governments have even been jailed for filching their people’s patrimony. So, Tinubu’s cry of the matricidal wife (ekun ap’okoje) is not novel.
Last week, the FG instituted a legal action against the 36 governors at the supreme court. In it, it alleged misconduct in the administration of local government areas. Filed by the attorney general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the suit seeks full autonomy for all local government areas in the country. It also specifically prayed the court to issue an order prohibiting governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders. In the same vein, it asks for an order that will permit funds standing to the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the federation account. Another request was for the supreme court to stop the governors from constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments because this is against the constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratic system.
On the surface, we must commend this federal administration for this yeoman role. It goes without saying that governors are alleged to have asphyxiated the 774 councils. As an Ogun state former council chairman confessed recently, council bosses are even, in some cases, made to swear oaths to the various vindictive deities never to reveal the dirty details of governors’ heists.
However, we should tarry awhile and look at the intendments of the Lagos Boy. It should interest us that Tinubu, on this road to Tarsus, has morphed from Saul to Paul. This was the same man who fought Olusegun Obasanjo to the hilt in defending his rights to a sizeable portion of the patrimony of the local governments of Lagos state. When such a man suddenly becomes an apostate of that conviction, society should be wary of him. My major hunch is that the Lagos Boy wants to decimate the 36 state governors, elevate local governments and build a new outpost of command for himself. His gambit could be to castrate the stiff-necked states, and project and promote Superman in his conjured 774 new pseudo-centres of power. With humongous money coming to the councils, the 774 LGs would be his battle axe to fight the governors. More importantly, the councils would be vulnerable to federal blackmail. Whatever the newly curated Leviathan asks the new kids on the block to do, including becoming his poster boys for the 2027 election, they will glibly do. Borrowing from that ancient proverbial quip, the Osanyin deity will thus become the slave.
It goes without saying that from 1999 to date, all Nigerian presidents have had issues with governors and have sought one way or the other to cut them to size over the issue of financial autonomy of local councils. We ordinarily should clap for a president who is poised to use the law to neutralise our enemy governors who have wasted our sub-national funds without any visible impacts. But, let us tarry awhile and ask ourselves how safe our cherished democratic government will be after the conquest of Napoleon. Does Napoleon, the Leviathan, have the pedigree of a people’s fight as the one he just entered into, without self-motive? Lest it turn out to be the proverbial case of the Iwofa who was mandated to take a thirsty horse to the riverside. When this happens, the Yoruba, in their infinite wisdom, say money (the Iwofa) is going after money (the horse). The Iwofa is not equivalent to slavery. It is a system of pawnshop or peonage, otherwise known as debt slavery. Extracted from two Yoruba words, iwo (the act of entering into) and efa (six), in traditional Yoruba society, when a person owes money, he could volunteer his son as an Iwofa, ‘a recurrent six-day service’ agreement with the person he owes, to cancel out the debt.
In this rash race to demonise the sub-national governments and their heads and hand the states and local governments over to the Leviathan, we must remember that this cherished object we call democracy is incompatible with the rule of one man. Adolf Hitler began from the same harmlessness, you remember?
‘Unsustainable’ — FG says labour’s N494k minimum wage demand amounts to N9.5trn yearly
The federal government says the N494,000 minimum wage proposed by organised labour is “unsustainable”.
In a statement on Saturday, Mohammed Idris, minister of information, said the demand by organised labour amounts to a N9.5 trillion bill for the federal government annually.
The minister added that the proposal of organised labour would increase the existing workers’ wage bill by 1,547 percent.
BACKGROUND
In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved N30,000 as the national minimum wage for workers.
Recently, the federal and state governments, organised labour, and the private sector commenced discussion over the new minimum wage.
Initially, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had proposed N615,500 as the minimum wage, citing the high cost of living.
However, the federal government rejected the N615,500 proposal and offered N48,000.
On May 15, the NLC and TUC rejected the N48,000 minimum wage offered by the government.
On May 21, the federal government increased the proposed minimum wage to N54,000, which the labour again rejected and described as “unacceptable”.
Again, the federal government proposed N60,000, and it was rejected.
On Friday, NLC and TUC declared an indefinite strike over the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage from N60,000.
The planned strike is expected to kick off on June 3.
‘FG CONCERNED ABOUT 200M NIGERIANS’
The minister said organised labour is fighting for the interest of 1.2 million workers, while the federal government is concerned about 200 million Nigerians.
“The federal government’s new minimum wage proposal amounts to a 100% increase on the existing minimum wage,” the minister said.
“Labour, however, wanted N494,000, which would increase by 1,547% on the existing wage.
“The sum of N494,000 national minimum wage which labour is seeking would cumulatively amount to the sum N9.5 trillion bill to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Nigerians need to understand that whereas the federal government is desirous of ample remuneration for Nigerian workers, what is most critical is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not encourage any action that could lead to massive job loss, especially in the private sector, who may not be able to pay the wage demanded by the organised labour.”
[TheCable]