Government Should Implement Minimum Wage —Ribadu

The Presidential Candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Malam Nuhu Ribadu has called on the present government to as a matter of urgency implement the N18, 000 minimum wage for workers.

While sympathizing with Nigerian workers, he observed that anything less than N18, 000 was unacceptable owing to the fact that legislatures who do not constitute up to 1 per cent of the nation’s population were enjoying 25 per cent of the nation’s budget.

Legislators collect nothing less than N40 million every quarter, an amount which can pay the salary of 3000 workers per month.

According to him, the naira has been so devalued that even the N18, 000 which is slightly above $100 cannot meet the needs of an individual.

He expressed concern that as huge revenues have continued to accrue from the sale of crude oil, the conditions of workers have continued to deteriorate and workers have increasingly been excluded from the wealth created by their labour.

Ribadu who expressed concern at the high level of poverty in the country called for a social security system to be put in place and also called on the government to create more jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.

—Oluokun Ayorinde