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Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume has stated that the new minimum wage demanded by organised labour is not realistic.
He said this in Abuja on Thursday, June 6, during a meeting with the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
He addressed the Christian community for support as the tripartite Committee on minimum wage continues negotiations.
Akume stated that he cannot pay a minimum wage of ₦100,000 to his drivers because he has four of them.
He lamented that it would be a difficult responsibility for him.
According to him, “I can’t afford to pay my driver one hundred thousand because they are four. And these other people, dependents.”
He went on to complain about the demands being made by the organised labour, adding, “Where do we get that money from?”
Minimum Wage: ‘It Is Not About Demanding ₦100,000’ – SGF Akume Makes Pronouncement
Meanwhile, Akume has stated that the federal government is considering economic productivity and stability in the quest to pick a new national minimum wage.
The statement, which comes amidst the ongoing negotiations with the organized labour and private sector for a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, emphasized the need for people to be productively engaged.
The SGF emphasized that apart from just paying a new minimum wage, the government is also looking at controlling inflation and having a balanced economy.
Naija News reports Akume made the submission on Thursday while speaking to the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja.
“Our people must rise up and have something in their pockets. It is not about demanding 100,000 naira without productivity. We are looking at controlling inflation and ensuring a balanced economy,” he asserted.
During the meeting, Akume also chided the organized labour for shutting down the national grid during its nationwide strike on Monday to press home its demand for the government to approve a higher minimum wage figure for workers.
According to him, shutting down the grid is a treasonable offence.
“Nowhere in the world has labor ever tampered with the national grid. It is treason! Treasonable felony is economic sabotage, you don’t do that.
“We are trying to rebuild the economy. The president is picking up, and they want to destroy it. Of what use is that to all of us? That is not the way,” he said.
The SGF assured of the commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to an acceptable minimum wage, adding that the government has deployed some palliative to cushion the effect of the economic hardship in the country.
“In 2019, the minimum wage was legislated up to 30,000 naira. It is an exclusive issue in the constitution, not on the concurrent list, but on the exclusive legislative list. That is why it is the federal government, working with organized private sector and labor, that recommends it to the president for the national assembly’s attention.
“It is not that we are not working. We are working, and that is why we implemented the 35,000-naira wage, which is more than the minimum wage. There are buses ready to be distributed, and soon, rice and other essentials will be available,” Akume explained.
He also called on the church to collaborate with the government in the task of providing essential services such as education, health, and agriculture.
“The church must collaborate with the government in providing facilities for people whether it is in education, health, or agriculture. We don’t separate; we combine. There is a symbiotic relationship that can never be destroyed,” he said.
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