Workers in Nigeria deserve to expect the implementation of the N30,000.00 new Minimum Wage, the law of which President Muhammadu Buhari recently endorsed. That expectation should not be jeopardised by anyone for any reason, considering that the struggle for the new wage has been long and windy.
The president having signed the enabling bill into law on April 18, 2019, its implementation by the federal and states governments should be immediate, if only to demonstrate official sincerity of purpose. And to actualise this, the National Salary, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) should heed the demand of organised labour to release the circular and implementation table of the new scheme promptly.
It is instructive that besides the president’s assent, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang has assured civil servants of full implementation of the new salary structure. This should be complemented by similar assurances by the states. If possible, governors should meet and jointly agree on simultaneous implementation, which will eliminate acrimony on the implementation. Read more