Connect with us

Trending

Minimum wage: Don’t plunge nation into monumental crisis, Labour tells govs

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Organised Labour has rejected claims by state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, that they cannot afford N60,000 minimum wage, urging the governors not to plunge the country into a monumental crisis.

Speaking on behalf of Labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, accused the governors of lying with their resources, contending that “nothing can be further from the truth as FAAC allocations have since grown from N700 billion to N1.2 trillion making the governments extremely rich at the expense of the people.”

In a statement titled “Save the country from a certain death”, NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, advised the governors to cut the high cost of governance, minimise corruption as well as prioritise the welfare of workers.

The statement reads in part part : “We are alarmed by the statement credited to the Nigeria Governors Forum that state governments cannot even afford to pay N60,000 as minimum wage as “a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month”.

“We do believe the Governors have acted in bad faith. It is unheard of for such a statement to be issued to the world in the middle of an on-going negotiation. It is certainly in bad taste.
“As for the veracity of their claim, nothing can be further from the truth as FAAC allocations have since grown from N700 billion to N1.2 trillion making the governments extremely rich at the expense of the people.

“All that the governors need to do to be able to pay a reasonable national minimum wage (not even the N60,000) is cut the high cost of governance, minimise corruption as well as prioritise the welfare of workers.

“It is important to explain here that a national minimum wage is not synonymous with the different pay structures of different states. The national minimum wage is the lowest floor below which no employer is allowed to pay. The aim is to protect the weak and the poor.

“We are not fixated with figures but value. Those who argue that moving the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N60,000 is sufficiently good enough miss the point. In 2019, when N30,000 became the minimum, N300 exchanged for $1 (effectively making the minimum wage an equivalent of $100 or thereabouts) while the inflation rate was 11.40.

“At the moment the exchange rate is at N1,600 to $1 while inflation hovers at 33.7 per cent (40 per cent for food). This puts the value of the minimum wage at $37.5 for a family of six. This is happening at a time costs of everything have risen by more than 400 per cent as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies. This is an extreme bad news for the poor.

“Government’s policies of fuel subsidy removal, mindless devaluation of the Naira, energy tariff hike by 250 per cent and interest rate hike by 26.5 per cent will continue to hurt the economy (especially manufacturing sector) and the poor.

“Already manifest is the mass incapacity of Nigerians leading to overflowing warehouses of the productive sector of the economy. The downward trend will continue except the capacity of workers and businesses is enhanced.

“Paying a miserable national minimum wage portends grave danger to not only the workforce but the national economy as in truth, economies of most states are driven by workers’ wages.
“In light of this, we urge the governors to do a re-think and save the country from a certain death.”

Trending

Lagos: Cause of Ijora-Badia explosion revealed

Published

on

Spread the love

Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has revealed the real cause of the explosion that rocked the Ijora-Badia area of Lagos on Sunday afternoon, injuring no fewer than 15 people.

According to a statement by the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, the explosion occurred around 4:10 p.m. inside a mini shop stocked with 25kg gas cylinders.

The shop, located within a bungalow that housed 15 self-contained rooms and seven other shops, reportedly had five gas cylinders at the time of the incident.

Adeseye attributed the explosion to the mishandling of gas, which caused a leak that was ignited by a nearby flame.

“It was a case of poor handling of gas products, which unfortunately allowed gas to escape and come in contact with a flame. This triggered the explosion,” she confirmed.

The resulting fire, she said, was promptly extinguished by a team of firefighters from the Sari Iganmu Fire Station, with support from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and LASAMBUS.

While no fatalities were recorded, 15 persons sustained varying degrees of burn injuries.

Adeseye noted that several victims were treated with first aid on-site, while others were taken to nearby hospitals for further medical care.

She also assured residents that the area has since been secured and normalcy restored.

Continue Reading

Trending

Take-It-Back protesters scamper for safety as police fire tear gas during protest in Abuja.

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force dispersed protesters with tear gas in the Maitama area of Abuja.

The protesters, who had gathered on Monday, April 7, scattered in different directions as the tear gas canisters were fired in their midst.

The protest is part of a nationwide demonstration spearheaded by the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society organisations.

Key among the concerns raised by the organisers are the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act, the worsening economic hardship in the country, and what they described as a “state of emergency” in Rivers State.

The demonstrators carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Stop the Repression” and “Let Us Breathe”.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was also present at the protest ground.

Continue Reading

Trending

How I caught lots of people’s wives with big men, governors – Ali Baba

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Veteran Nigerian comedian, Ali Baba, has revealed that he has caught numerous wives of his friends and associates engaging in extramarital affairs with governors and wealthy politicians.

He made this revelation during an appearance on the Outside the Box podcast.

Speaking candidly about the unsavoury activities prevalent among the nation’s elite, the comedian recounted a particular encounter in which he saw the wife of an associate at the residence of a state governor.

He said: “I have been in the houses of a lot of big men—like governors and the rest—and I see wives of a lot of people that I know doing things, and I greet, ‘How are you? How is everything?’

“And then those guys would do their philandering, tap her bum and say, ‘Go back inside, I’m not finished with you,’ and she went back inside. Then I ran into her at an event, and her husband said, ‘Oh, how are you? Meet my wife.’ I responded, ‘Oh madam, it’s a pleasure. I haven’t seen you in five years. Where have you been?’ And she’s like, ‘I’ve been around, good to see you.’

“When she sees me somewhere after, she calls me and says, ‘Ali, thanks,’ I say, ‘It’s okay.’”

Ali Baba’s account casts a sharp light on the often unspoken indiscretions that occur behind closed doors in high society.

Credit: Blaze 91.5 FM

Continue Reading

Trending