Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Government has assured that the new minimum wage in the works will meet the economic realities in the country by addressing social imbalance, inequality and staggering poverty.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, stated this at a dinner to mark the 40th anniversary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The SGF described workers as the life-wire of any government and noted that the celebration was time to reflect on years of struggle, turbulence and the service of the congress to the Nigerian worker.
Mustapha said: “The importance of the NLC, 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 infrastructures, ensure food security and provide jobs.
“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.”
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who said the dinner was properly designed to honour founding fathers of the country’s labour movement and some of those who had contributed to the sustenance of the NLC, also bemoaned the condition of the Nigerian worker.