The Federal Government has assured workers that it was working towards
ensuring a new national minimum wage that will address issue of social
imbalance, inequality and the wide gap of poverty.
Secretary
to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, gave the assurance
at an award dinner to end the 40th anniversary of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) in Abuja.
The Nation reports that the late Chief
Gani Fawehinmi, late Pa Micheal Imoudu, late Olaitan Oyelunde, late
Chima Ubani, late Prof. Festus Iyayi as well as the congress’ past
presidents and general secretaries and a host of others were honoured
and inducted into Labour Hall of Fame for their contributions to the
labour movement.
Mustapha said the welfare of workers was top on
the priority list of the Buhari administration, adding that because of
the importance the government attached to the issue, it was making a lot
of efforts to resuscitate the economy.
He said: “The importance
of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the affairs of any government cannot
be overlooked. It is the soul of the government because without the
workers, be they civil servants, private sector workers or even
pensioners, there will be nobody to man the system.
“That is why
this administration takes the welfare of the Nigerian worker as priority
by putting so much effort into the resuscitation of the economy. I must
underscore the fact that the primary objective of the Economic Recovery
and Growth Plan is to diversity the economy, grow skills, create
wealth, gain infrastructure, ensure food security and provide jobs.”
Mustapha
added: “The Federal Government is conscious of the need to bring wages
to meet economic realities. It is in this regard that the tripartite
minimum wage committee was inaugurated to review the national minimum
wage. The committee is determined to complete its assignment before the
end of this year and I am confident that the outcome of their assignment
would address the issue of social imbalance, inequality and the wide
gap of poverty in the country.”
He congratulated the NLC leadership for deeming it proper to reward past services through recognitions.
“I
congratulate the awardees and say that your recognition tonight is a
challenge to all of us to continue to contribute our best to the service
of our nation,” the SGF said.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba said the
dinner was organised to honour those who have contributed to the growth
of the Labour movement in the country, some of who paid the supreme
price and others who spent several months in detention during the
military era to strengthen the labour movement.
He said with the high level of discussion during the anniversary, it was evident that the future would be bright for workers.
He called for cooperation of Nigerians in the struggle to make the country a better place.
Wabba
said: “As enumerated during the three-day brainstorming event, and from
the volume of discourse, it is very clear that the future will be
bright because we have assembled the best from among our rank and file…
“I
am certain and all of us are convinced that from the issues that were
discoursed, we have reasons to look into the future and build NLC of our
dreams.”
