Nigerian Workers were celebrated nationally today with governments at different levels assuring them that they value their contribution to national growth and would therefore not ignore their demands for better working conditions and enhanced minimum wage.

Speaking at the 2018 Workers’ Day celebration at the Eagle Square in Abuja, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, assured Nigerian workers that the Buhari-led administration is not ignoring their demands for better working conditions.

Labour has persistently clamoured for a new minimum wage and President Muhammadu Buhari had in November 2017 set up a 30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation of a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Both government and labour are yet to reach an agreement on the minimum wage and this has made labour to constantly align its demand with the growing rate of inflation in the country. It is expected that agitations for the minimum wage may further heighten as we approach election year.

Going by government’s original proposal the new minimum wage was expected to take effect from August 2018 but that date is doubtful now given the different stages leading to an agreement and passage by the National Assembly.

Vice President Osibajo said “It is my hope that the tripartite committee will work to enable the federal government to send an executive bill on a new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for passage into law as soon as possible.”

He also stated that security in the nation is a collective responsibility and urged Nigerians to cooperate fully with security agencies to help bring the perpetrators of criminal acts to justice.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, commended the trade unions for the battles won over the years and enjoined workers to join the federal government in its fight against corruption.

On his part, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, charged the minimum wage tripartite committee to be mindful of the target date for its implementation. He argued that workers as creators of wealth should be treated as such as well as celebrated. He vowed that the NLC would continue to fight until the new wage is implemented.

Having a minimum wage, he said, would have a multiplier effect on the economy.

Similar parades were held in state capitals with state governments appreciating the important role of workers and assuring them that they would take care of their welfare. Different affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress took part in the parades.