Hullabaloo Over Minimum Wage

Today, the Organised Labour in Nigeria is making a real hullabaloo over the imperative necessity of the Federal Government to increase the minimum wage of Nigerian workers and to make life worth living for the over 120 million multi-dimensionally poor citizens of this country.

The ruckus is absolutely not out of place. Workers deserve the right to demand increase in their wages, particularly at a time when their income values have been drastically devalued by some of the ill-considered policies of the Federal Government.

There is no denying the fact that while the so-called masses including the workers are financially suffocated and tethering on the edge of the precipice, the gap between them and their leaders has scandalously widened beyond explanation.

While some political office holders and their cohorts are living in opulence, plundering the commonwealth of the citizenry and always laughing to the bank to stash their looted funds, the masses, who are always at the short end of the stick, groan under the heavy weight of miseries, hunger, starvation and poverty.

By now, former President Muhammadu Buhari will be laughing aloud in Daura, Katsina State, his country home, where he retired to after serving out his eight years as the country's helmsman on May 29, 2023.

Satiric as this analogy may sound, Buhari had boasted towards the twilight of his administration that he would be sorely missed by Nigerians after leaving office. Can you now blame Buhari in the face of what is currently happening in the country barely one year after leaving office? 

To many discerning minds, the ex-President now appears like a saint because the prices of goods and services have skyrocketed, food inflation has hit the rooftops, standard of living has lost its meaning and the masses are living beggarly lives, yet there is no corresponding increase in workers' pay and the fate of average Nigerians hangs precariously in the balance.

It is not hyperbolic to say that feeding today in Nigeria has become a luxury. Three square meals a day? Who gifts monkey banana? Balanced diet? It only exists in the warped minds of the people. Only the moneybags and the political elite know whatever balanced diet means.

Despite this despicable state of affairs, life must go on. For people to soldier on, the federal government and the organised labour must reach a rapprochement on the minimum wage conundrum.

Recall the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been at dagger's drawn with the government over review of minimum wage. The issue of minimum wage increase didn't start today. For some years now, the minimum wage has been N30,000 per month.

However, the organized labour, particularly since things went awry in the country has not hidden its push for a better wage to cushion the effects of high cost of living, monstrous inflation and lack of social amenities among others. 

At the beginning, the labour unions asked for N615,000 a month. This demand, however, didn't fly. They brought it down to N494,000 a month, yet the government dilly-dallied. 

To show that they were not joking with their demand, they went on an indefinite strike last week. The demonstration was later suspended for five days to allow for further dialogue with the government.

So far, there is no respite yet. Penultimate Friday, the Federal Government reportedly proposed N62,000. Even though the organised labour felt the amount was a far cry from their demand, the state governors on the other hand claimed they were incapable of paying that much, opining they would not have any money remaining for developmental projects if they should pay N60,000 or more. The Federal Government did not stop their foot dragging there. They proposed N57,000. The organized labour decided to bend downward and reduced their demand from N494,000 to N250,000.

As it appears now, considering the brouhaha that has greeted the issue of the minimum wage, it still remains a puzzle how the matter will eventually end. 

But in the face of the back and forth with the minimum wage saga, the Edo State Government has blazed the trail by moving from N40,000 to N70,000 minimum wage from the month of May.

The question begging for an answer is that if Edo could do it, why can’t other states? It doesn't require much debate that some of these states complaining about their inability to pay N60,000 minimum wage even have more money than Edo. One begins to actually wonder how water actually entered the coconut of mismanagement of the nation's resources?

Many have blamed the rapacious greed and selfishness of politicians as the major problem confronting the country. It is believed that it is not because the federal or state governments cannot pay even N100,000 as minimum wage. They actually can pay but that is not their real priority because they don't want to care whether citizens breath it not. Rather, they will prefer to waste billions of naira on some white elephant for pecuniary gains. They will prefer to buy magnificent properties in choice cities for their children and generations still not born.

Above all, they  will prefer to stockpile gargantuan amount of money to prosecute the rigging of the next election, knowing full well that people are already disenchanted and disillusioned and may vote them out if elections were free and fair.        

Many politicians, having exploited the vulnerability of the masses by snatching and grabbing power by all means in the last polls, all they are after now is to retain that power by all means and probably continue the subjugation of the people.

If the self-seeking and greedy political elite had their way, they would have arrested all labour leaders and incarcerated them for life. Imagine, some political hawks and vultures have already excoriated the organised labour for shutting down the national grid during their short-lived strike recently. 

First to throw the salvo was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who described the labour unions's action during the rampage as treasonable felony and economic sabotage. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also expressed his fury that labour members overstepped their bounds and should be grateful to God that Nigeria was not still  being ruled by the military junta. 

Dissatisfied by the SGF's excoriation, the NLC demanded that Akume retract his statement, describing it as deeply troubling and unthinkable.

Be that as it may, let those flying the kite of treason know that it is more treasonable to loot public treasury than a patriotic clamour for wage increase. It is also more treasonable to truncate the wishes of the people in an election that remains the bedrock of democracy.

As the governments at all levels continue to squander the commonwealth of the citizenry, the majority of the citizens continue to groan under the weight of the hardship in the country.

Even if N60,000 is eventually paid as minimum wage, it will still not buy a bag of rice in Nigeria today. There is practically no essential commodity that its price has not quadrupled in the last one year.

Even if the N62,000 is finally agreed as the minimum wage, many Nigerians still believe is a slave wage because many families today can’t afford to buy all manner of food items because their prices have become astronomically high. Do we talk of rice, beans, poultry, tomatoes, pepper, and many other food items? Only those who have osephagus can eat meat, chicken and others today. That is the terrible level average Nigerians have been reduced to in this country currently.

The country is in a mess at present, but the powers that be appear unperturbed. The National Assembly which ought to be a check on the executive is not interested in doing that. Really, how can they check the executive when they have been settled with exotic vehicles, ‘prayer money’ and other perks?    

Is it the judiciary that will salvage the situation? The answer is farfetched. As the saying goes, "he who pays the piper calls the tunes". Undoubtedly, many judges are ready to serve the interests of those who pay the piper. Recently, the Senate passed a bill for a 300 per cent increase in the salaries of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and other judicial officers. The proposed legislation is in consideration of the present economic realities and high inflation in the country. Good for them! But why can’t other workers get similar 300 per cent increase in their wage? Will this increase make judicial officers  uphold justice and impartiality as envisaged? Time will surely tell as Nigerians are eagerly waiting to see how things will pan out.

Given the state of affairs in the country, one won't be wrong to say that the struggle for an equitable Nigeria, will undoubtedly take a long time to achieve.  

The NLC, TUC and other ancillary bodies have tried to fight for the people but sadly, some of the same people they are fighting for have accused them of partisanship and what have you. Good luck to Nigerian workers if they succeed in getting the over N60,000 that has been proposed as minimum wage. They have been browbeaten into suspending their strike. Nevertheless, the organised labour has taken a courageous step in the right direction to make the government take another look at their demand. The ball is now in the court of the government and it is hoped that this time round, they will do the needful to ameliorate the sufferings of the people and not to pass the buck any longer.

May God lead our leaders right to know the truth to do to renew the hopes of Nigerians amid the current economic mess and social malaise.