MINIMUM WAGE: CIVIL SERVANTS SPEAK ON NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE’S DECISION ON N30,000

MINIMUM WAGE: CIVIL SERVANTS SPEAK ON NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE’S DECISION ON N30,000
A cross section of civil servants in Adamawa on Wednesday commended the National Council of State, for resolving the National Minimum Wage issue.

Also, an Abuja-based pressure group, Noble Youths Mass Support Association (NYMSA), hailed the government for taking action to avert nationwide industrial action.

They said that the resolution was in the best interest of the Nigerian workers.

Mr Idris Tarfa, a civil servant, who works with Adamawa Ministry of Works, told NAN on Wednesday in Yola, that the present administration made N27,000 minimum wage a basic benchmark for a Nigerian worker.

According to him, the question of states going back to negotiate as it was the practice in the past has been put to rest.

Alhaji Sulaiman Dauda, another civil servant with the Ministry of Environment, said that the resolution on the new minimum wage would go a long way in boosting the living standard of Nigerian workers.

Dauda called on civil servants to reciprocate the gesture by giving their best for wealth creation in the country.

Also, Mrs. Aisha Aliyu, a civil servant with the Federal Ministry of Education said that the new minimum wage would help boost the nation’s economy.

Aliyu noted that the development would stimulate the purchasing power of civil servants which in turn would boost the production of goods and services in the country.

NAN recalls that the National Council of State approved N27,000 minimum wage for the Nigerian worker, while the Federal Government agreed to pay federal civil servants N30,000.

Similarly, an Abuja-based pressure group, Noble Youths Mass Support Association (NYMSA), commended the Federal Government for the approval of N30,000 minimum wage for federal workers and N27,000 for the states.

Mr Godwin Omonya, the national coordinator of the group, made the commendation in an interview with NAN in Gwagwalada on Wednesday.

According to him, Nigerian workers deserve better pay and good working condition as they are the ‘goose that lays the golden egg’ for the country.

“Approving N30, 000 minimum wage for federal workers by the government and N27,000 for the states by the Council of State is a step in the right direction.

“In this country, you see a senator earning huge amounts as salary, meanwhile the teacher that impacts the knowledge earns very little.

“The new minimum wage will add value to the lives of workers; I also urge workers to be more diligent and committed to duties.’’

Omonya, however, called on the National Assembly to speedily pass the new minimum wage into law.

The coordinator also urged the state governors and private organisations in the country to comply with the approval.

“We believe the National Assembly will give it a speedy passage so that it will come into effect as soon as possible.

“The minimum wage issue is long overdue in this country and I expect the state governors and corporate organisations to be fair to workers,” he said