President Muhammadu Buhari has assured workers that his administration would fully implement the new monthly minimum wage of US$98.
The President made the promise on Wednesday in his message to mark the Workers Day celebration.
“We will continue to commit ourselves to the cause of improving a lot of every working Nigerian and providing for those who cannot work.
“In this regard, the New National Minimum Wage which I signed into Law a few days ago shall be fully implemented by my Administration.
“Let me once again express my deepest appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Workers for the understanding showed during and after the negotiations of the New National Minimum Wage”.
He said that on assumption of office in 2015, in spite of the daunting economic challenges, the government ensured that no worker was retrenched across the country.
The President said that he kept faith with this commitment not to cause staff cut by providing bailout funds for States which were unable to pay salaries and other benefits in order to pay accumulated arrears.
“We also had to release the Paris Club refunds owed since 2005 to make sure workers were not owed anything.’’
The government, he said, also ensured the payment of outstanding benefits of retrenched Nigerian Airways workers owed for decades,
Arrears owed to parastatals and civil service pensioners covering 101,393 civil service pensioners on all grade level and 76,310 parastatals pensioners across 186 agencies were also paid.
“This is in addition to arrears paid to Pensioners in the Police and Customs services in 2016 and 2018.
“Our Administration also settled the issue of benefits of Nigerian armed forces and Paramilitary personnel who were dismissed and later pardoned for participating on the side of the recession in the course of the civil war 1967-1970. All of these veterans have now been paid their benefits.’’
He reported that the government has also embarked on Social Investment Programme, the largest of its kind in Africa, directed to provide opportunities in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy.
“Let me once again express my deepest appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Workers for the understanding showed during and after the negotiations of the New National Minimum Wage.
“We shall continue to provide the enabling environment , higher productivity, industrial peace and harmony as well as congenial atmosphere for effective collective bargaining amongst trade unions and employers.’’
