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MINIMUM WAGE: Labour Party gives governors tips on how to source money to pay

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MINIMUM WAGE: Nigerian governors set to hold emergency meeting over December deadline

The National Working Committee (NWC) of Labour Party (LP) has reeled out measures the 36 state governors in the country can adopt to be able to fund the new minimum wage proposed to President Muhammadu Buhari by the tripartite committee set up to look into the lingering issue.

The measures, according to the party, includes forgoing their security votes and cutting down of the number of aides and political appointees.

The National Chairman of the party, Abdulkadir Abdulsalami, who spoke on behalf of the NWC, at the party’s National secretariat in Abuja, also advised the 36 State Governors to reduce the level of stealing and corruption in their states in order to enhance their capacity to pay salaries and stop giving their embarrassing reasons for inability to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.

It would be recalled that the governors had opposed the N30,000 proposed by Organized Labour on the basis that they do not have the capacity to pay. They however proposed N22,500.

Abdulsalami, who contended that a new minimum is long overdue in the country, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to approve N30, 000 minimum wage as recommended by the tripartite committee.

He said: “The Leadership of Our Party believes that a new minimum wage for the Country is long overdue. It was in the light of this conviction that the NEC Meeting of Our Party held in December 2015 in Lokoja called on the organized Labour to work towards the actualization of a new minimum wage for workers. We, in Labour Party are happy that the advice was headed to in 2018.

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“However we are baffled and embarrassed at the reasons given by some State Governors of their inability to pay the Sum of Thirty Thousand Naira minimum wage after eight (8) years when it was last reviewed.

“Our advice to such Governors in the short term are to forego their security votes, cut down on the numbers and salaries of Political Appointees, and reduce the level of stealing and corruption in their states in order to enhance their capacity to pay.

“In the long term, Governors must be innovative to create wealth for their states instead of this attitude of State Governors begging and waiting for allocation from the Federal Government.

“It is again of importance to reiterate that it is only Our Party that has the programme, manifestoes and ideology to cater for the interest of workers and all those who are currently suffering from poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians to support Our Party to power in 2019. Our Party also calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to approve The Thirty Thousand Minimum Wage (N30,000) as recommended by the Tripartite Committee. “

Speaking on the 2019 general elections, the party said, “We hereby state categorically that Our Party will contest all elective offices in the 2019 General Elections including the office of President.

He also commended the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu for the systematic, well thought out result oriented and intelligent procedure in handling the submission and processing of forms for the 2019 General Elections.

“This clarification has become necessary in view of the falsehood disseminated in the media by some members of the NWC who were recently suspended by a NEC Meeting held in Minna, Niger State to the effect that the Party will not field any candidate for the 2019 Elections.

“The Party has concluded all formalities and submitted forms to INEC in order to contest for the office of President, Vice President, all Governorship seats, and 90 Senatorial seats, 300 seats . In the House of Representatives and all the seats in all States Houses of Assemblies.

“The successful conclusion of Our Party Primaries in all the State s of the Federation, the submission of INEC Forms and the publications of the Personal Particulars of Labour Party candidates for the 2019 General Elections have shown clearly to Nigerians that there is no leadership crisis in the Party.

“All those who have disseminated fake news about the Party are meddleson interlopers or Political job seekers who Nigerians must be weary.

“The National Leadership of Our Party commend INEC and its Chairman Yakubu Mahmood for the systematic, well thought out result oriented and intelligent procedure in handling the submission and processing of forms for the 2019 General Elections.

“It was indeed a great departure from the bureaucratic system we are familiar with. This has again reinforced our conviction that INEC will conduct free, fair and credible Elections in 2019. Let me also put on record that there is no any injunction or any enforceable judgment against Our· Party.

“Consequently all information contrary to what is said here is fake news and its proponents are equally fake. We therefore call on all Nigerians to disregard and discountenance any ill-motivated, diabolical and misleading information about the Party”, he said.

 

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