The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned the Nigerian government’s response to the ongoing national minimum wage negotiations, particularly remarks made by Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
In a statement signed by NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Comrade Benson Upah, the labour movement rejected Onanuga’s characterization of their N494,000 minimum wage demand as “unserious, unrealistic, and outlandish.”
Onanuga, who serves as the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, recently criticized the labour leaders in an interview with Vanguard, dismissing their wage demand as unrealistic.
However, Comrade Upah countered this by highlighting that the refusal of some states to comply with the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was not due to a lack of resources, but rather a deficit in leadership and a failure to prioritize workers’ welfare.
“Numerous states possessed the needed financial capability to meet these obligations but chose to allocate funds elsewhere, usually in less productive and highly questionable ventures,” Upah said.
He noted that in many cases, workers’ wages drive the economy, but the resources were often misappropriated, leading to debts, pain, and penury.
Upah emphasized that the payment of the national minimum wage should be seen as a commitment to the people and an obedience to national law, rather than being contingent on surplus resources.
He recalled that previous administrations, including that of President Muhammadu Buhari, provided funds to states to offset salary and pension arrears, yet many governors diverted or misused these funds.
“Nigerians have not forgotten that the governments of President Muhammadu Buhari made available funds to these states at various times to enable them offset arrears of salaries and pensions as well as sustain continuous payment of same but these heartless governors diverted the funds or misapplied them,” Upah remarked.
He urged Mr. Onanuga to acknowledge the responsibility of these governors as “executive law breakers” and their insensitivity towards workers’ welfare.
The ongoing nationwide indefinite strike has seen substantial compliance in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Key government buildings, including the Federal Secretariat, Ministry of Justice, and the Supreme Court, remained locked, and all public schools in the FCT were shut down, affecting even those scheduled for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).