States Will Implement Minimum Wage By January, FG Assures Workers
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The federal government has assured that many state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration will comply with the new national minimum wage by January 2025.
A statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia quoted the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, as having given this assurance when he received a delegation of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCN), who paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abuja.
Dingyadi, who appealed for patience from the workers, said his ministry was yet to know the states that have complied and those yet to comply, because the implementation just commenced.
According to him, based on information provided by the workers, four or five states were yet to comply with the new minimum wage while some have complied with it to some level.
The Minister said: “The FCT said it will comply with the new minimum wage in January. But your FCT Chapter is saying that they want it done right now. I am not sure whether that is fair.
“Many states are going to do it in January. So, I don’t know why your FCT Chapter is not accepting the same January. So, since you have raised this issue, we are going to look at the matter once again and see what could be done, particularly about the federal agencies you talked about.
“You have not given us the names. We can be better guided with a list of those who have not complied, to see what we can do.”
He said the ministry had taken note of all the issues in contention, including the one pertaining to the Office of the Accountant General and the issue of Federal Civil Service Commission, which the ACSN had been trying to resolve, and assured that all of them were going to be looked at thoroughly, and resolved amicably.
The minister thanked the delegation most sincerely for the courtesy visit, and the notes of congratulations they extended to him on his reappointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dingyadi assured the union of his determination to do all that is required to ensure peace, tranquility and stability within the labour industry in the country, adding that his doors would always be open to trade unions.
He, however, appealed to the leadership of the union to lead by example and always conduct themselves in a peaceful manner by bringing issues to the roundtable for resolution as they arise.
Earlier, the President of ASCN, Comrade Shehu Mohammed, congratulated the minister on his appointment, describing it as “a very good opportunity to reinvigorate the Ministry of Labour towards enhancing industrial relations across the country.”
He sought the minister’s intervention in the matter of non-remittance of the union’s check off dues by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, as well as on other issues of concern.
Mohammed lauded the Ministry for doing wonderfully well in terms of reforming the trade unions in the country and also conducting oversight responsibilities, which has really impacted the operations of most unions in the country.
