Minimum wage: NICL hails Buhari for premium on workers’ welfare in Nigeria
President Buhari
President Buhari
THE New Initiative for Credible Leadership, NICL, has described the decision of the organised labour to suspend its planned nationwide strike as laudable.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and other trade union bodies had planned to embark on a nationwide industrial action over their demand for the increment in the minimum wage.
The strike was, however, put on hold following the intervention of the Federal Government.
Speaking on the development at a press briefing on Tuesday, Rev Steven Onwu, Executive Director NICL, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his unwavering commitment to the welfare of workers in Nigeria.
He specifically noted that the President upon the assumption of office in May 2015, discovered that several state government and even some federal government agencies were owing workers many months of salary arrears and he swung into action immediately, by directing the Ministry of Finance to arrange Federal Government led bailout funds for such States.
According to him “the Buhari led Federal Government has shown itself to be a labour friendly federal government. If the Country’s permits, the Buhari led administration would be paying far higher than the amount the labour union is currently demanding.
“Nigerians have taken particular notice of how the Buhari administration has strengthened anti-corruption institutions to help block leakages in the system that allows a few to cart away what belongs to all. The truth of the matter is that, had the previous government invested heavily in infrastructural development as the Buhari led government is currently doing, we will not have these issues at the magnitude we are now.
“Therefore we at the New Initiative for Credible Leadership, NICL, encourage all Nigerians to give their support to President Buhari to continue this wonderful works beyond 2019.”