The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Shehu Gabam, has called on the Federal Government to ensure that civil servants receive a minimum wage of no less than N100,000 if it genuinely intends to alleviate the economic strain on the masses.
Gabam made this appeal during his appearance on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s “Politics Today.”
This appeal comes in the wake of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) staging a nationwide strike last week to demand an increased minimum wage for workers and the reversal of the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
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The industrial action was suspended for five days after labour leaders reached an agreement with the Federal Government to resume negotiations and determine a new minimum wage within a week.
Gabam emphasized that the government should settle for a minimum wage above N100,000 to prevent civil servants from resorting to sabotage. “For me, what I think at this stage is that the government should do something above N100,000. It is reasonably okay.
It makes a little bit of sense. People can breathe, and people can go to work without thinking of sabotaging the institutions,” he said.
Gabam criticized the current N30,000 minimum wage, pointing out that it is insufficient to cover basic expenses. He also rebuked Nigerian governors for claiming that a minimum wage higher than N60,000 was unsustainable, urging a review of the fuel subsidy removal policy.
“Any serious governor that can put his priorities right can pay N60,000 comfortably,” Gabam insisted, adding that eliminating ghost workers from the system would enable states to meet this wage. He highlighted that many of the issues stem from state-level governance.
Gabam concluded by stressing the need to reconsider the subsidy policy. “They have to consider reviewing this subsidy. I’ve mentioned this severally, you can get it right with the rate of subsidy the way it is. This government initiated this crisis by removing the fuel subsidy and naturally, they don’t need to be told that there are consequences that will follow”, he said.
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