Minimum Wage: Labour Threatens To Shut Down Nigeria

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday threatened to shutdown the nation over moves to amend the Nigerian constitution to remove minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list.

But the upper chamber of the National Assembly assured the NLC that National Assembly will not take any action inimical to their interest.

The President of NLC), Ayuba Wabba, who stated this when he led members in a protest march to the National Assembly, insisted that Labour will not hesitate to shutdown the country with a nationwide strike if a bill to this effect is passed into law.

The Bill seeking to remove minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list, is sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Garuba Datti Muhammad, representing Sabon-Gari Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.

Addressing workers at the National Assembly, Wabba explained that the protest was prompted by the bill, which will enable state government determine their own minimum wage, adding that they will resist the move.

The NLC pointed out that removing National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive legislative list is a declaration of war on Nigerian workers, stressing that such an action is not in line with International best practices.

Other grievances enumerated by the NLC during the protest are the non-implementation of financial autonomy for State legislatures and Judiciary as provided for in Section 121(3) of the Constitution and Presidential Order 10 signed in 2020, rising spate of insecurity in the country that has continued to manifest in forms of kidnappings, banditry and fuel scarcity. It also called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency fix the countries refinaries.