President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that the implementation of the new national minimum wage will begin soon.
He urged states and employers in the private sector to work towards providing a living wage for their workers.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, at the 11th triennial delegates conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja, the President said as a result of several reforms embarked upon by the government, the economy is expected to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2019.
He urged state governments and the private sector to implement the minimum wage to encourage workers to contribute to the country’s development, adding that his administration will continue to pay attention to the welfare of workers.
Expressing concern over the level of insecurity in the country, the President assured all that the government was working hard to defeat insecurity, including terrorism, kidnapping as well as farmer/herders clashes, saying the challenges are not insurmountable.
The President restated his administration’s committment to making Nigeria a better place and is “mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and on the road to prosperity.
“The security challenges we are currently facing are not unsurmountable. I can report that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of funding, equipment and improved local intellegence.
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“We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. I can assure you that we will win the war against terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and farmers-headers clashes.”
He stressed that since taking over the mantle of leadership, he has tried to build a solid foundation for the country, adding that “these efforts have begun to yield results. The economy is making a steady progress and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 per cent this year. Our external reserve have risen to $45 billion and can finance a number of our foreign commitments.
“With the steps taken to integrate rural economies to the national grid, provide credits and inputs to rural farmers and micro-businesses as well as providing the enabling environment for business in Nigeria, our people will be liberated from the shackles of poverty. We will try to create 10 million jobs yearly to continue to boost our economy and make life better for our people.
“Our government will continue to improve on New Development Plans and initiatives. We will concentrate on agriculture, education, power and other infrastructure, manufacturing and social intervention schemes. We will promote good governance and fight corruption to a standstill.
“This government will continue to build institutions and machinery to fight corruption. If we don’t kill corruption now, we will not have a country to handover to our unborn generation. Hence the need for everyone to be involved in this fight to finish.
“My administration believes in the welfare of workers and that is why we have signed the Minimum Wage Bill into law and implementation is underway. I implore both the state governments and the private sector to give their workers a decent living wage to encourage workers to contribute more to our economy.
“The Federal Government acknowledges the collaborative support it has received from the labour union, especially the TUC, since the inception of this Administration. Members of this union participated actively in developing the drafting of the various policy documents that have led to the development of roadmaps in the country.
“Members of the union are also involved in several aspects of the implementation of the road maps. It is the belief of Government that the synergy and collaboration will be strengthened as we move forward. The Executive arm of government is committed to having a smooth and good working relationship with the labour unions in Nigeria as we go higher.”
President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama said Nigeria has degenerated to the level of anarchy and absurdity as hardly a day passes without new killings through assassination, kidnapping, and suicide bombing.
Kaigama said this level of insecurity seems to have overwhelmed the security forces, adding that “nowhere is safe now, including the home state of the President and the Minister of Defence”.
While calling on leaders in the country to tackle the challenges, he reminded them that the primary essence of the government is to protect lives and secure property of the citizens.
To Kaigama, the economy is in dire straits. “Regrettably, those who should manage it are not showing promising signs on how to fix it, especially with the country’s debt profile standing at about N24.3 trillion and the the level of unemployment growing daily,” he said.
Kaigama also expressed concern over corruption, pointing out that perpetrators were devising new tactics daily to evade being caught. Cronyism, ethnicity and religion, he said, have deflated efforts to redeem the country.
He asked government to improve on the nation’s operating environment to ensure the smooth running of the economy, pointing out that the manufacturing sector has not made any significant progress in the first quarter of 2019.
He maintained that further decline in the components that makes economies viable can lead to further job losses and increase poverty, adding that the country cannot continue to watch politicians midwife the nation’s national development planning into extinction.
Kaigama said: “How can we talk about development when national budgets are passed in the middle of the year? It will definitely have a consequential effect on the national economy and investors’ interest. If we cannot follow laudable policies, then we cannot be said to have begun our pursuit for a better society.”
The delegates conference is expected to produce a new leadership for the Congress.
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