TheCable

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday held nationwide protests over the demand for the new minimum wage.

The protests held in Cross River, Lagos, Edo, Abuja, Osun, Kaduna, among other states.

Speaking in Abuja, Ayuba Wabba, president of the NLC, said most Nigerian workers are unable to eat three times per day.

Wabba said workers should be able to take care of their family but, in reality, reverse is the case.

The labour leader said workers built the Nigerian economy and “there is no way we can be described as tiny minority”, adding that their welfare and wellbeing must be paramount.

A protester flashing a placard in Abuja

He said: “We want to say that workers are very central to economic development. They are very central to the prosperity of any country and therefore we can not be described as the tiny minority.

“Nigerian workers are an asset and must be celebrated. Anywhere around the world where there is progress, workers are celebrated. Workers must be able to take care of their families, they must be able to feed well, they must be able to pay children’s school fees, but today most workers are unable feed three meals per day because the minimum wage of N18,000 is no longer enough to cater for their basic needs.

“Workers create the wealth of any nation. If we create the wealth of Nigeria then we must partake in the sharing of such wealth and therefore the welfare of workers must be paramount. That was why we said that this rally will take place at the length and breadth of the country.

“So workers must be able to take care of their family, send their children to school. But today, workers are not able to feed three times a day or send their children to school because minimum wage of N18, 000, is no longer sustainable and no longer realistic and cannot take care of worker’s needs. This is the reality.

“Therefore we have agreed on the negotiation table which took us up to one year negotiating. Workers have been patience and more considerate and we look at all issues and we agreed on the N30,000.”

In Lagos, the protest caused heavy traffic around the state while many commuters were stranded at various bus stops.

The tripartite committee on the minimum wage in November 2018 presented its report to President Muhammadu Buhari and expected it to be forwarded to the national assembly after two weeks.