The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, broke the news to workers on Tuesday, while delivering his speech at the launch of N2.3 billion National Secretariat Complex of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The signing of the law by President Goodluck Jonathan increased the national minimum wage across the country from N7, 500 to N18,000 per month.
“It may interest you to know that Mr President has just signed into law the N18,000 minimum wage approved by the National Assembly, not just because civil servants said no minimum wage, no elections, but because he shares your moments, having been a salary earner himself, even when he was a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt,” the minister said.
He said that President Jonathan deserved the workers’ support because his administration was labour-friendly.
Senator Bala stated that the launch of the N2.3 billion ASCSN secretariat complex was holding at a very important time in the history of the country, as it coincided with electioneering of political parties.
The minister, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Social Development Secretariat, FCT, Mr Salihu Hussaini Ashara, said: “I believe you chose this period for specific reasons, the least of which I suspect, is that politicians should identify with you, so you could also identify with them, in the manner of scratch my back and I scratch your back too.
“Be that as it may, the administration of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan deserves your support, because it is labour-friendly and has, since coming to office, set in motion policies that have gone a long way towards enhancing the welfare of civil servants.”
He said the president had signed the minimum wage bill into law because of his belief that the civil service “is the engine room of every government.”
Like the engine of a car, the minister said the civil service determined the success or failure of any government.
The president of ASCSN, Comrade Olakunle Olaitan, who called on eminent Nigerian philanthropists, including captains of industries, politicians, governors and royal fathers to key into the vision of the union and support it to raise the required money for the secretariat complex, commended the signing of the N18,000 minimum wage by President Jonathan.
He described it as a good development and an action that must be applauded by everybody, especially the workers, adding that the president must quickly move further and implement it to ensure that government at all levels commenced the payment immediately.
The ASCSN president called on the state governments to take their cue from the Federal Government by immediately commencing the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage.
However, Comrade Olaitan said Nigerian governments should not wait until the issue of salary and workers’ welfare degenerated into crisis before increasing it based on economic situation, adding that the workers would celebrate the increase until the market forces eroded the importance.
He advised that the government must put in place a mechanism that would consistently and continually lead to adjustment and increase in the minimum wage of workers.
In his brief reaction, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, said the congress had just sent a letter to President Jonathan on Monday to have audience with him on the issue, because the congress had decided that without the new minimum wage implementation, there would be no elections in April.
Comrade Omar said: “This is a very good news. It is indeed the best news I want to hear. We have just sent a letter to the president yesterday (Monday), seeking an audience with him and the issue we want to discuss with him is the issue of minimum wage. That is a very good news; we will make a public statement to commend him.”
Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Promise Adewusi, said: “This is good news and good music to the ears of Nigerian workers and, indeed, the Nigerian people. The signing of the minimum wage bill into law by President Jonathan in spite of orchestrated and trenchant prostrations by enemies of workers hold him out as a leader who can be trusted by Nigerians.
“He promised to give us a new national minimum wage and with this assent, he has partially delivered. With his sympathy for the toiling workers, we expect him now to consummate his goodwill by ensuring that, at least, the Federal Government sets the pace by ensuring payment by March ending to further show good faith. After all, for the federal workers, it is just a difference of N900 for the least paid worker.”
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