President Bola Tinubu has assured the leadership of the organized labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, that he belongs to everyone and without them, his work would not be interesting.
The President made the assertion when he met with the leadership of the NLC and the TUC over the issue of minimum wage, where he agreed to pay N70,000.
He also gave the assurance that it would be reviewed after three years, instead of five.
President Tinubu said he had to intervene in the negotiations, knowing the economic challenges faced by many Nigerians, and the need to provide urgent succour.
The President, in a statement by his spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying, “I have heard all your presentations. You came here with the intention to get something on behalf of your members. It has been tough globally. And if you review my track record, I have never been found wanting in ameliorating the problems of workers. I belong to the people and to all of you in leadership. Without you, this job is not interesting.
“You challenged the thinking faculty of leadership, and we have reviewed the position. I have consulted widely, and when the tripartite committee submitted their reports, I reviewed them again and started to think and rethink.
“Last week, I brought the workload to you because we have a timeline. We have a problem, and we recognise that you have a problem too. We are in the same economy. We are in the same country. We may have different rooms, different addresses, and different houses; we are just members of one family that must care for each other.
“We must look at the parameters of things. Here, I have a speed limit, and I must pay attention to traffic warnings; slippery when wet, curved roads, and be careful not to have an accident. That is why I went as far as having this meeting today.
“We are driving this economy together. Let us look at the tenure of review. Let us agree on that and affirm three years. Two years is too short. We affirm three years. We will review.
“I am going to move from the tripartite committee. I am going to edge a little bit forward, looking at the review that we have done. Yes, no one in the federal establishment should earn less than N70,000. So, we are going to benchmark at N70,000,’’ the president said.
President Tinubu explained that renewing the hope of Nigerians extends to providing infrastructure that will improve their livelihoods and create an inclusive economy that all can participate and benefit.
He said the government was committed to reducing the cost of transportation with the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses, which will be cheaper and efficient, and also assured the labour unions of providing buses that will be deployed across the country.
President Tinubu also said the entitlements of members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) will be considered, urging the Ministries of Finance, and Budget & Economic Planning to look at the possibilities of clearing the backlog.
At the meeting, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, thanked the President for his consideration of issues as the “Father of the Nation’’ and scheduling two meetings to resolve the initial impasse.
The SGF said, “Mr. President, at the tripartite meeting, and the resolutions of the government, Organized Private Sector and labour unions; we were all united as one family to promote and grow our economy, and deepen our democracy, by implication to the benefit of all. Basically, that is what we are saying today. We have a listening president here.”
