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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
Organised Labour has called on Nigerians to remain patient with both the Federal and State Governments amid delays in the implementation of the newly approved ₦70,000 minimum wage.
The Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Political Commission, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, made the appeal during an interview with Punch on Monday.
He clarified that the delay should not be viewed as an intentional move by the Federal Government to avoid paying the new wage, noting that there are procedural steps involved.
President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, following consultations with leaders of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
However, many states are yet to commence payment.
So far, only Lagos and Edo States claim to have started implementing the new wage. Seven other states—Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia—have set up implementation committees, while many others are still lagging behind.
States yet to raise panels for implementation include Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Zamfara, Benue, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Enugu, Adamawa, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Cross River, and Yobe.
Despite the delays, Ndubuaku expressed optimism that the implementation processes could be concluded by the end of August.
He urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and assured workers that the union is working closely with the government to ensure the new wage is paid as soon as possible.
He said, “We have no reason to suspect that (deliberate delay). In a real sense, signing the wage is just a small component of the main activity. There is something we call consequential adjustment. That involves the calculation of the minimum wage from level one, step one. From there, we will move from stage one to 13 all the way to level 16.
“So it is something that may take some time. Again, they are not going to compile them alone. There are templates for compiling it. But they must also carry us along. I believe you are aware there is a committee that is supposed to carry out the necessary adjustments. We expect it should be completed before the end of the month.”
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