President elect, tinubou ballhe has vowed that his administration will provide a living wage, having described the existing national minimum wage as “insufficient.”
Tinubu, who will be sworn in on May 29, made the pledge in a statement on Monday to mark Labor Day.
“In Nigeria, I will have the honor and privilege to lead from May 29, workers will have more than the minimum wage. They will have a living wage to have a decent life and support their families,” he said.
According to Investopedia, a living wage refers to a notional income level that allows individuals or families to pay for adequate housing, food, and other necessities.
Currently, Nigeria operates the National Minimum Wage structure. The current minimum wage of N30,000 for the federal government and the states was approved in 2019 following the passage of the Minimum Wage Bill by the National Assembly.
Read the full statement below:
MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY FROM THE PRESIDENT ELECT TO NIGERIAN WORKERS ON INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY
I join the rest of the world and all compatriots in celebrating Nigerian workers on International Workers’ Day this year. Today is a special day in most parts of the world, a day to salute and honor the workers whose hard work and sweat continue to grease the wheel of progress and human advancement.
Today it is significant in many ways. It is a day forged and born from the fight for workers’ rights and socioeconomic justice. Since 1891, this day has been observed all over the world.
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In Nigeria, every May 1 is a special day in our national calendar. The holiday we observe is not just to commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of workers to the welfare of our country. It serves as a celebration of workers’ rights to dignity, living wages, and a decent life, and most importantly, it is a testament to the critical role the labor movement plays in our march toward a stronger, more united, and more more prosperous.
Since 1945, when railway workers and 16 other public service unions led the first General Strike to demand better wages as a result of the rising cost of living, the Labor Movement in Nigeria has always fought on the side of the masses of our country. It came as no surprise that the Labor Movement added zest, zest and energy to the independence struggle by partnering with nationalists such as Nnamdi Azikwe, Herbert Macaulay, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Ernest Ikoli and Anthony Enahoro, among others.
The Nigerian Labor Movement was also not found wanting during our fight for the restoration of democracy. The Nigerian Labor Congress and its affiliated organizations (NUPENG, Textile Union, PENGASSAN, among others) collaborated with pro-democracy leaders and groups to restore democratic governance to Nigeria in 1999 after almost two uninterrupted decades of military dictatorship.
On this special day, as your President Elect, I extend my hands of friendship to Nigerian workers through the two central unions: the Nigerian Labor Congress and the Trade Union Congress. In me you will find a trusted ally and collaborator in the fight for social and economic justice for all Nigerians, including all workers.
Your fight will be my fight because I will always fight for you. My plans to improve welfare and working conditions are clearly spelled out in my Agenda for Renewed Hope for a Better Nigeria. It is a pact born of conviction and that I am willing to fulfill.
At this point, I must remind Nigerian workers that we all have a common battle to fight, one that we must win together. And it is the fight against poverty, ignorance, disease, disunity, ethnic and religious hatred and all the negative forces that fight against the stability and prosperity of our country.
In Nigeria I will have the honor and privilege to lead from May 29, workers will have more than one minimum wage. They will have a decent salary to have a decent life and support their families.
However, the days ahead will demand better understanding and cooperation from all parties, because leadership will require us to make tough, tough decisions so that our people and all Nigerian workers can live abundantly.
I wish the Nigerian workers and the leaders of the NLC and TUC a Happy Labor Day!
