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Tag: Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

  • Employers violating pension reform Act, says Wabba

    •’Ogun owes N100b pension contributions’

    The Federal Government and other employers in the country are violating the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014, the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba has said.

    Wabba spoke during a pension session held by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee in Abuja.

    He said employers, including the Federal Government, are violating the Act by deducting pension contribution from employees’ salary and not remitting same to their pension managers.

    The PRA 2004 as repealed by the PRA 2014 states that an employer is under obligation to remit pension contributions to Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) through Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) within seven days after payment of salaries; otherwise, in addition to making the remittance, the employer shall be liable to a penalty which shall not be less than two per cent of the total contributions that remain unpaid for each month or part of each month that the default continues.

    The PRA 2014 revised the rate of pension contribution from 7.5 per cent contributed equally by the employer and employee under the old law, to eight per cent for the employee and 10 per cent for the employer; bringing the minimum total contributions for both parties to 18 per cent compared to 15 per cent previously. As contained in the 2004 legislation, an employer may choose to make the total mandatory contributions without making deductions from the salary of the employee; however, total remittance for any employer who chooses to remit without recourse to the employee must not be less than 20 per cent of the monthly emolument of the employee.

    Monthly emolument is defined to mean total emolument as contained in the employee’s contract of employment, but shall not be less than the total sum of basic salary, housing and transport allowance.

    Wabba urged the commission to take steps, including collecting interest where such situations are found.

    He said: ‘’About the issue of violation. Yes, there has been violations. But the violators are employers that deduct pension from their employee and don’t remit pension to their (PFAs).

    “In Ogun today, we have about N100 billion that has been deducted by the state government and not remitted to Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). So clearly, there is a violation of the provision of the pension Act. Any employer who is not remitting both employer or employee contribution is a violation and therefore we want a very stringent measure to be taken including taking of interest where such situations are found.

    Speaking on safety of the N8.63 trillion pension fund assets, he said: “I will like people to know that the pension funds belong to somebody who is a worker today who is expecting that the money should be invested carefully in business that will be yielding interest for them.

    “However, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has the responsibility of protecting the trillions of naira that belongs to the pensioners. The commission must ensure that these funds are safe and remitted as and when due”, he added.

  • ‘NLC to occupy Ogun over Amosun’s hostile policies to workers’

    The National leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Com. Ayuba Wabba,  has declared that he would lead Nigerian workers to occupy Ogun State on Friday, this week, over alleged hostile policies of Governor Ibikunle Amosun towards the state work force.

    The siege christened “Operation Occupy Ogun State,”  Wabba added, is driven by the need to use the planned protest to prevail on Amosun to resolve all pending labour issues between Organised Labour in the state and the Ogun State Government.

    The NLC leadership in a letter addressed to  Governor Ibikunle Amosun, dated 20th February, titled “Re: Notice of Protest Against Anti-Worker Actions of the Ogun State Government Scheduled For 1st March, 2019,” said they would storm the state to protest the anti-worker decisions  and infractions on the rights of workers by the state government.

    He lamented that the Union had at different times drew the attention of the state  government to its  infractions with calls on Amosun- led administration to  respect the collective bargaining agreement entered with workers as regards the last tranche of the Paris Club Fund.

    Wabba noted that by agreement, Paris Club Fund, was meant  to settle gratuity owed workers and unremitted statutory deductions due to workers and trade unions.

    Read Also: Amosun wins Ogun Central

    According to the Union leader, some of the issues they want Amosun to address include reinstating  the state NLC chairman,  Comrade Akeem Ambali and other labour leaders that were sacked by him.

    Others are the liquidation of about 104 months arrears of withheld statutory deductions owed workers and unions in the state;  payment of gratuity owed retirees and settlement of salary arrears owed workers of the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu -Ijebu.

    Wabba’s letter reads : “Your Excellency, we wish to remind you that the actions of the Ogun State Government under your leadership runs contrary to and undermine Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees and protects freedom of association which includes the freedom for trade unions to exist and function freely in any part of the country.

    “Furthermore, as you know, the rights enjoyed by trade unions to respect for collective bargaining agreements and non-interference in their activities is further guaranteed by Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation and Freedom of Association. These conventions were fully subscribed to by Nigeria upon the attainment of independence.

    “Given the intransigence of the Ogun State government to respond to earlier entreaties  by the NLC, Organized Labour in Nigeria has no other option left than to keep Ogun State on an industrial lock down until our demands are met.”

     

  • ’Labour won’t accept retrenchment over new minimum wage’

    Last week’s election of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  during its 12th Quadrennial Delegates Conference would go into the annals of the congress as the best organised since its constitution in 1978.

    Workers could still recall the ugly incident that characterised the same election four years ago at the labour house.

    One lesson from the 12th National Delegates’ Conference is the smooth process and the fact that it was rancour-free unlike what happened in 2015.

    The crisis that characterised the 2015 delegates’ conference ended in creating factions in the congress. It  forced two unions, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas of Nigeria (NUPENG), out of the NLC to form the United Labour Congress (ULC).

    The re-election of Comrade Ayuba Wabba amid fanfare has  renewed the hope of workers.

    Wabba was also recently elected as the President of the World’s International Trade Union Congress (ITUC). He will lead the 16-member National Administrative Council (NAC) in the next four years.

    Others elected NAC members included three Deputy Presidents. They were Amaechi Asugwuni, Muhammad Nadir Idris and Najim Usman Yasin. Ibrahim Khaleel was elected National Treasurer.

    Four officials were elected Vice Presidents. They were Abdrafiu  Adeniji, Peters Adeyemi, Lawrence Amaechi and Oyelakan Lateef.

    Others were Marwan Adamu,  the National Financial Secretary and Adewale Adeyanju, National Trustee. Comrade Wabba.

    In all, 15 officials were returned unopposed.

    The conference with the theme: ”Towards a decade of activism for the promotion of labour unity; national rebirth and development.”

    In his acceptance sppech, Wabba vowed to confront the challenges faced by the workers. He said: “We will ensure that the challenges workers face are confronted headlong. Workers are treated as slaves while those that don’t even work hard take higher pay.”

    He said the new leadership must build workers power to change the equation and confront the political power to ensure that workers live decent lives.

    On the new minimum wage, he pointed out that the organised Labour would not allow governments at any level or private employers to hide under the increment to sack.

    Read also: Union urges members to vote out anti-workers governors, politicians

    The NLC President insisted that the struggle would be to ensure the implementation of the new minimum wage by federal and state governments.

    He, therefore, charged all the affiliates and the state councils as well as the partners to be ready for the battle ahead for the implementation of the minimum wage without retrenchment.

    As a leader, he pointed out that his executive would not take unilateral decisions on issues affecting the workers, but assured that the Labour movement would continue to take instructions from the rank and files.

    He said his leadership would always speak the truth to the government to protect the interests of the working class.

    “The new leadership of NLC will respect the will of members and consolidate on what we are doing. We will continue to conform to the tradition of the union and speak the truth to those in power. The daily challenges of workers at work places will be confronted. We have been able to work assiduously in the past four years and we will move forward to build workers poser. I assure our members of our commitment and dedication to the resolutions of the conference.”

    NLC’s General Secretary Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson said the congress had learnt from its past mistakes.

    Asked why all the positions were unopposed and if it was a predetermined arrangement to forestall a repeat of the 2015 crisis, Ozo-Eson said there was no election because there were no constestable positions.

    He said since there were no positions, the candidates were presented by the Credentials Committee at the conference by acclamation; through a motion moved because “there are no positions that is contested”.

    “Every organisation learns from its own mistakes. What happened in the last one, perhaps, influences how people took their positions, but that is a process of politicking and a process of preference.

    “For us, ours is to take what we see in nominations and we processed them forward. We have received the nominations, and as we published it, it is one slate. So, that is what we have seen this time. It is being done before, it has happened before, so it won’t be the first time,” he added.

  • Ahmed to implement N30,000 minimum wage

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has promised to implement the N30,000 minimum wage as soon as it is passed into law.

    Recently, the governor signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation with labour leaders in the state.

    Accordingly, the governor approved the establishment of a committee on the implementation of wage

    At the inauguration of the 10-member committee on Wednesday in Ilorin, the state capital, the State Head of Service, Mrs Susan Oluwole charged the committee to work out modalities for the implementation of increased minimum wage in the state.

    She said that “the committee is expected to among other things look at various funding windows, smooth implementation of N30, 000 minimum wage and work out an actionable plan for the implementation of the minimum wage in the state once passed into law.”

    Mrs. Oluwole, who reiterated the determination of the state government to implement the new Minimum Wage, renewed the government’s commitment to ensuring improved welfare of the state workforce.

    The committee has the State Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale as Chairman while the Director of Establishment and Pension in the Office of Head of Service will serve as the Secretary.

    Read Also: Ahmed calls for revival of reading culture

    Other members of the committee are the Special Adviser on Labour Matters, Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Training, Permanent Secretary, Service and Welfare, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), State Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council.

    But group known as Kwara Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability (Kwara-CGGA) described the governor’s decision as a campaign gimmick.

    In a statement, Secretary General of the group, Hassan Omoiya, said that neither Ahmed nor his political family has a history of honouring agreements.

    The statement reads: “The MOU is a familiar campaign gimmick from a governor who couldn’t faithfully implement the 18,000 National Minimum Wage. It is one thing to make a promise. It is another thing for the fellow making the promise to be believable,” Omoiya said.

    “Of course, the governor doesn’t have any record of fulfilling any pact with not just the labor but the entire people of Kwara. If you can’t pay 18,000 minimum wage, how do you plan to pay 30,000? The governor should first implement the 18,000 minimum wage, including the arrears of same since 2011, and then the suffering workers may consider his latest pledge.  What is the worth of an MOU that is certain to be ignored?! If you can’t pay minimum wage with a N190bn budget, how would you pay it through a N150bn budget? It is a case of wanting to fool the people twice. Our people are no fools!

    “As we speak, several categories of workers in Kwara — serving and retired — are being owed up to 11 months in salaries, pensions and gratuities arrears. These include but are not limited to workers across local government, water corporation, sports council,  Harmony Transport Service and Kwara Football Academy. What about the dubious deduction of workers’ pay against which no one dares to talk?

    “The truth is that the people of Kwara are completely fed up with the deceitful political tendency that Governor Ahmed represents and, given its interesting history of never honouring its words and humiliating our people, no amount of latter-day promise can avert the imminent punishment awaiting them at the polls.”

     

  • Wabba returns as NLC President

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba was on Wednesday evening reelected for a second term of four years with a pledge to double his efforts at protecting the interest and rights of the Nigerian workers.

    In his acceptance speech after he was returned unopposed at the end of the 12th Delegates Conference of NLC in Abuja Wabba said the leadership of labour will double its effort to ensure that the rights and interests of workers are protected.

    The newly elected officers will be in charge of the workers union until 2023.

    Wabba said “The board will respect the will of members and consolidate on what we are doing. We will continue to conform to the tradition of the union and speak the truth to those in power. The daily challenges of workers at work place will be confronted.

    “We have been able to work assiduously in the past four years and we will move forward to build workers poser. I assure our members of our commitment and dedication to the resolutions of the conference” he said.

    He called on the political class to imitate the rancour-free election of the NLC, adding that it was important to address the global in balance where more people live below poverty line despite the growing global wealth.

    Read Also: Wabba elected ITUC president

    Among those returned are first deputy president, Amaechi Asuguni; second deputy president, Muhammed Idris; and third deputy president, Najim Yasim.

    Others are National Treasurer, Ibrahim Khaleel First Vice president, Abdulrafiu Adeniji; Second Vice president, Peters Adeyemi; Third Vice president, Lawrence Amaechi; Fourth Vice president, Oyelekan Lateef, Fifth Vice president, Mercy Okezie and National Trustee, Adewale Adeyanju.

    Also elected are financial secretary, Mustapha Adamu; first internal auditor, Simon Ankavar; second internal auditor, Benjamin Anthony; third internal auditor, Olatunji Babatunde; first ex-officio member, Funmilayo Issa; and second ex-officio member, Comfort Okoh.

  • Don’t tax minimum wage, NLC tells FG

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded amendment to tax laws to exempt income below N30,000 from being taxed.

    It also said the yet- to- be implemented national minimum wage should not be taxed.

    This is one of the motions adopted by the 12 National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja.

    In a motion submitted by the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria at the plenary session of conference, the union argued there was ‘twin assault on the real income of Nigerian workers caused by unrestrained devaluation of the naira and high rate of inflation’.

    It also expressed concerns the process for the new minimum wage was taking too long, calling on the parent body, NLC, to discuss strategies and plans for effective implementation of the new minimum wage particularly at the state level.

    General Secretary of the union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said it was important to put pressure on the Federal Inland Revenue Service to raise the tax bar so that the N30,000 minimum wage would fall below taxable income, while also calling for tax holidays for some categories of Nigerian workers.

    Read Also: NLC… New tenure, old problems

    He said, “Now that we have raised the minimum wage to N30,000, we must impress it on the FIRS to raise tax bar so that the new minimum wage will be protected. If you tax minimum wage of N30,000, we may as well go back to N25,000 or N27,000 by default. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives raised the point and I think labour must push the agenda to protect the new minimum wage.

    “The N30, 000 is actually a compromised amount from N56,000 earlier proposed so it must be protected. If the Federal Government can give 10 year tax holiday to companies, why not give the same to workers? Given the collapse of income, today, Nigerian workers deserve tax holidays.

    “We are not asking for this because we consider our job as charitable, what workers have in their pocket is what will turn the economy around. That is what we will use to purchase goods in the market and pay rent. For economic recovery, it is good for workers to have sustainable purchasing power or disposable income that is off the tax hook.”

    General Secretary of the NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson, who appeal for protection of the new minimum wage, said that the income tax law needed to be amended to protect workers purchasing power.

    Ozo-Eson said, “Given that the N30,000 we agreed as a compromised minimum wage is so low, ideally, it should not be taxed but I believe that the correct way to do it is to amend the income tax law in order to raise the exemption bar if the N30,000 will fall within.

    “The law should be amended to ensure that the minimum wage level is below the taxable income. Under the present law, if you earn N18, 000 a month, your tax is zero.

    “There is a tax table but with N30,000, under the existing exemption guideline, there will be some little tax because it will be slightly above the exemption tax.

    “What needs to be done is to have an adjustment to the schedule so that the exemption is placed above the minimum wage.”

     

  • Demand compensation for victims of protests, Falana tells NLC

    Femi Falana (SAN) has advised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to seek compensation from the Federal Government for the families of people who died in the various protests in the country.

    Falana gave the advice in Abuja on Tuesday at the 12th National Delegates Conference of the  Congress.

    The theme of the conference is: “Towards a Decade of Activism for the Promotion of Labour Unity, National Rebirth and Development.’’

    He said NLC should demand adequate compensation for the families of all workers and Nigerians who lost their lives in rallies held all over the country.

    “I congratulate the NLC for the success recorded so far in the struggle to have a minimum wage.

    “What the constitution provides for in Section 16 is the National Minimum Living Wage but what has been conceded is not a living wage but it is better than nothing.

    “The first aspect of the struggle has been won and the National Assembly will soon pass the bill.

    “But to get payment, you need to get organised and compel those governors who claim that they will not be able to pay, to pay the new minimum wage, ‘’he said.

    Falana called on NLC leaders to put pressure on state governors who claimed that they could not pay N30, 000 minimum wage so that they could do so.

    He also called on the governors to imitate the success of the Kebbi Sate Governor Atiku Bagudu in agriculture by initiating policies that would increase their financial strength.

    “I will like to advise those governors to borrow a leaf from the governor of Kebbi State. He has turned adversity to prosperity.

    “In 2017, it was reported that Kebbi State earned N160 billion from the sale of rice alone.

    ‘‘Let other governors be challenged and embark on money generation instead of cornering the state money.

    “To NLC and all Nigerian workers, let the 2019 election be the last time that elections in Nigeria and the struggle for power will be left exclusively in the hands of different factions of the ruling class.

    “After this election, the Labour Party must be reorganised so that we can take our destiny in our own hands,” he said.

    Read also: Buhari appeals for understanding on minimum wage

    He urged NLC to rebrand the Labour Party to become a strong political platform for all politicians.

    In his reaction, the Governor of Kebbi, Alhaji  Atiku Bagudu, said that the state government’s success was linked to the Federal Government’s commitment to agriculture and fairness in agricultural trade.

    “Falana talked about investment in agriculture but it is also linked to our ability to give fair terms of trade.

    ‘‘The success in agriculture would not have been possible without a president that is committed and that is nationalistic.

    “In the next level we will be able to do more in agriculture so that NLC can grow from six million to 60 million and have more resources, ‘’he said.

    Bagudu, who was part of the Tripartite Committee that recommended N30, 000 new minimum wage, said that in spite of the Committee’s commitment and recommendation, it was also important for stakeholders to sympathise with the some governors.

    He claimed that it would be difficult for them to pay N30, 000 as the new minimum wage.

    “I was part of the tripartite party on the new minimum wage. It came at a time when many states were unable to pay salaries, not including Kebbi State, because we manage better.

    “All the arguments about increase in wages and the clamour for a new minimum wage are compelling during the Tripartite Committee meetings.

    “But I am sure that organised private sector will sympathise with what we are saying about the ability to pay.

    “What do we need to do quickly so that workers can earn better and decent living? We are ignoring the most fundamental thing which is the size of our economy which leads to wider issue of globalisation,’’ he said.

    He added that President Muhammadu Buhari and those before him had about five percent of the revenue available to the president of Brazil with about the same population.

    He said in 2018, Brazil had a budget of 650 billion dollars while Nigeria’s budget was about 30 billion dollars, adding that this deserved an urgent wake-up call.

    He called on the organised labour to use its unity to return to the global agenda issues of unfair trade and capital restriction that were limiting economic growth.

    The governor said the NLC, as part of the wider movement to position and better the lives of Nigerians, had a bigger voice to draw attention to the limitation of the country’s economy. (NAN)

  • Minimum wage: ‘N30,000 translate to N50 per meal for workers’

    Organised Labour in the country on Monday painted a gloomy picture of Nigerian workers and the need for a new National minimum wage, saying the N30,000 recommended by the tripartite committee only translate to meal of N50 for a family of Six and N1000 per day for workers.

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba who spoke on behalf of Organised Labour Act the public hearing on a bill for a New National minimum wage said government alone, being one of the social partners in the tripartite cannot single handedly after the figures agreed to by the tripartite and submitted to government.

    Wabba said when the minimum wage was increased to N18,000 in 2011, it was equivalent to 150 dollars, adding that the N30,000 recommended by the tripartite committee is still less than 100 dollars and appealed to the House of Representatives to increase the figure from the N27,000 contained in the bill to N30,000 as recommended by the tripartite committee.

    Wabba said “I remember that in 2017 during the May say pandemonium, the national Assembly made a commitment that when the minimum wage hill is submitted, it will receive accelerated hearing. This promise has been kept.

    “On this issue of minimum wage, by our data base, 11 million workers will benefit and we know that the law provide for a wife, a husband and four children. If you multiple that by 11, there is no economy that will not be boosted. This is why it is very central.

    “The ILO recognizes that minimum wage is one of the most used instruments for wealth distribution in the labour market. Intact, minimum wage is provided for by law in 90 percent of countries of the world.

    “There has been some misconception about what minimum wage stand for. It is the barest minimum that is allowed to be paid to a worker in both public and private sector. When people say we are not supposed to have a minimum wage,  that is not true.

    “The United States of America is a federal system. It has a minimum wage of 10 dollars per hour and after that, every state can then pay higher. Recently, Microsoft increased its minimum wage to 15 dollars per hour. The principle is that we must protect the most vulnerable worker from exploitation.

    “So, it is not about the state, but about the protection of the individual. If you say remove it from the exclusive list and give it to the states, who will fix for the private sector. Employer cannot and should determined single handedly the salary of a worker. This is the principle and if you understand the principle, it will be easier to understand the challenges and work towards addressing them.

    “The minimum wage was due in 2016 because through the collective bargaining profess of 2011, we all agreed among all the social partners that a five year circle will be used to review the minimum wage. Some important economic challenges arose within the period and fuel price increased by about 85 percent and electricity tarrif also increased.

    “By the salary has remained static. From our records, minimum wage has never led to increase in inflation. Intact when minimum wage is increase, inflation will drop. There are other scenario that has increase inflation rate in the country and one of them is spending during election.

    Read Also: New minimum wage: Senate may capture domestic workers

    “This is one factor that we must consider because there will be excess liquidity which will trigger inflation. By the data presented by the National Bureau of Statistics, there is no where minimum wage has triggered inflation.

    “When we signed the N18000 minimum wage, it was equivalent to 150 dollars. Today, it is less than 50 dollars. So, the reality is that it is biting hard on the workers and most of them can’t feed their families and cant even go to work and be productive. This was why we insist on a new minimum wage.

    “The issue of tripartite negotiations and social dialogues is an instrument of the ILO proscribing collective bargaining among social partners. It also also says that all partners should come to the negotiating table in equal footing. There are also procedures in arriving at the minimum wage. In collective bargaining agreement is like a consent judgment where partners sit on a table and agree and what has been agreed is transmitted to government who will make it into a law.

    “This document which we all signed agreeing in N30000 was by all the social partners. We looked at all the issues and through the process of negotiation and looking at the economy and ability to pay, labour dropped its demand to N30,000.

    “We did not recommend N30,000 but because we want to carry everybody along, and make sure that we considerate, Labour became very responsible and agreed on N30,000 and this document was signed and presented to Mr. President.

    “It was agreed to as equal partners and as contained in ILO convention 131, you cannot alter the figures without consulting the social partners involved in the process. I remembered that we considered all issues including how to make sure resources are available so that the wages can be paid because we have been on this part for 38 years. At every stage of negotiating the minimum wage, the same argument has come up.

    “I think we should all sympathies with Nigerian workers. N30,000 translate to N1000 per day and N50 per mill for every member of the family. If you have a family of six, a wife husband and four children, it translate to N50 per mill.

    When we heard about the challenges in the state, we asked our state councils to go and engage with their state governors.

    “We discussed with 30 state governors and they made commitment that they will pay N30,000. The law recognizes individual states and we have attached memos we received from states is attached. We accepted the N30,000 so that there will be peace. That was how we arrived at the figures. In want to plead that the N30,000 we have agreed on with all the social partners be approved.

    “On the bill, we want the figure increased from N27,000 to N30,000. If that is done, it will not be the first. When we got the first minimum wage, this House increased the figure from N100 to N125 which was equal to N200 dollars.

    “We want the four circles as contained in the bill and we want it included that if there is a major economic development that affects workers salaries negatively or whichever comes first. Workers create wealth and should partake in the wealth they create. The work force of any country is an asset to that country.”

  • NLC seeks prosecution of parents, guardians of street children

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Niger state on Saturday called on the state government to prosecute parents and guardians of street children for child abuse offences.

    Its Chairman, Mr Idris Ndako, made the call in an interview with our reporter in Minna.

    Ndako said that such step if taken, would serve as deterrent to parents and guardians who abuse children in any form.

    The NLC chair called for a law that would be binding on all defaulters, noting that a lot of children had lost their destinies due to street begging.

    “We continue to say that youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but that is only true if they are given the basic training as children.

    “These children are seen begging for food on a daily basis; their identity is plastic plates with rope tied around their necks.

    Read Also: 2019: no minimum wage, no elections, NLC declares

    “They are usually in worn-out, filthy clothes.

    “Niger state government should promulgate a law against the trafficking of male children from the neighbouring states in the name of acquiring Islamic knowledge, only for them to end up as child beggars.

    “It is a fact that every child has the right to learn in any part the country and the world at large, but it has to be the responsibility of parents or funding organisations if on scholarship.

    “Underage children cannot be patrolling our streets begging for money and food, when they are supposed to be learning in a formal school system and government just looks away,” he said.

    According to Ndako, an average Islamic teacher does not have food to give to the teeming pupils under his tutelage and is, therefore, left with no choice than to allow them go begging for their daily up-keep.

    “This is child labour and government should do the needful on this matter to save the children and the society,” he stated.

    NAN

  • Workers cannot feed their families, Wabba cries out

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba on Tuesday lamented that Nigerian workers can no longer afford a decent meal or take care of the need of their families as a result of poor purchasing power.

    Wabba who spoke while addressing workers on the first day of the nationwide sensitization and mobilization rallies in Abuja said government must take the welfare and well-being of workers seriously and treat it as top priority as they are the ones that create the wealth of the nation.

    Wabba frown at those referring to workers as tiny minority, saying if there is a group that is a tiny minority, it is the political leaders that are receiving homongous salaries

    He said: “Workers welfare and wellbeing must be paramount. That is why we say this rally must take place across the length and breadth of the country. Today in every government house in Nigeria, protest is being transmitted to all our political leaders, the governors at the state level and here, we are in the office of the FCT Minister, who is also like the governor

    “We want to say that workers are very central to economic development. They are very central to the prosperity of any country and therefore we can not be described as the tiny minority.

    “Workers are very productive. We built the Nigerian economy, we fight for democracy,  rule of law and good governance and there is no way we can be described as tiny minority, as we services the entire country.

    While insisting that government must approve the N30,000 new national minimum wage, Wabba said that workers are instrumental to the economic development of the country.

    Wabba went further to argue that workers cannot be regarded as a liability but an asset.

    Read Also: SGF to Wabba: Buhari committed to workers’ welfare

    “Nigerian workers are an asset and must be celebrated. Anywhere around the world where there is progress, workers are celebrated. Workers must be able to take care of their families, they must be able to feed well, they must be able to pay children’s school fees, but today most workers are unable feed three meals per day because the minimum wage of N18,000 is no longer enough to cater for their basic needs.

    “Workers create the wealth of any nation. If we create the wealth of Nigeria then we must partake in the sharing of such wealth and therefore the welfare of workers must be paramount. That was why we said that this rally will take place at the length and breadth of the country.

    “So workers must be able to take care of their family, send their children to school. But today, workers are not able to feed three times a day or send their children to school because minimum wage of N18, 000, is no longer sustainable and no longer realistic and cannot take care of worker’s needs. This is the reality.

    “Therefore we have agreed on the negotiation table which took us up to one year negotiating. Workers have being patience and more considerate and we look at all issues and we agreed on the N30,000,

    “Nigeria is the best and largest economy in Africa and south Africa is only second to us. Yet, they are paying N120, 000 as their minimum wage and non of their political elite complained and they were able to deliver. It is the same thing with Ghana and that is why their economy is prospering.

    “So if we have a pool of the working poor there is no way the economy can do better. We are here to submit our letter of protest and demand like our  states councils are doing in their various state right now,  to the FCTA minister and the onward transmission to Mr President. We want to call on  Mr president for onward transmission”.