Nigeria is a country where you work like an elephant and eat like an ant if you fall under those category of workers that are seeking new minimum wage especially if you are earning the current national minimum wage of 18K per month or your wages is below 100K per month. Without mincing words, majority of Nigerian work force are living below poverty level.
The reason for this is visible to everyone living in Nigeria or understand how the country works. Both the standard of living and cost of living among the citizens in the country are highly poor and terrible due to many factors including lack of good and foresight leaders, lack of basic amenities, poor data management and lack of continuity in governance.
Majority of workers seeking new national minimum wage work in public sector mainly teachers, civil servants, public servants and the rest. Both the Labour unions and federal government are now engaging in argument and counter argument over this to find a meeting point for a new minimum wage. Previously the labour union had canvassed for N50K per month until now that they are seeking a minimum of N30K per month since the federal government stand is that they can not pay more than N23K per month.
I grown up into this wages crisis affecting the labour force including ASUU problems that goes beyond wages and salaries issues. This portends a great danger for the country if crises like these are persistent and continuing from one generation to another. This issue of national minimum wage is a perennial problem that has being on for many decades. What does this mean ? It is an indication that Nigeria and Nigerians have being unfortunately living with leaders of weak minds, low intellect and mentally lazy brain.
If I may ask those governors complaining that they can not afford the minimum wage.....
What are they doing with state resources and tax payers money in their respective states? I am 100 percent sure that nothing significant has happen in those states in terms of development and infrastructure taking Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun into consideration. Their healthcare delivery and education system are poor from available information.
For many decades, national minimum wage have increase poverty level in the country thereby turning into poverty creation process. This is a country where National assembly members that are doing almost nothing to help poor citizens are earning undeserved income of N13m per month and even going on regular recess without blinking an eye and whereas those hard-working tax paying civil servants and public workers are not paid decent wages. Equally Buhari and his 36 parasitic governors are collecting undeclared and unconstitutional security votes besides other incomes including contracts kickback for doing nothing are finding it hard to pay these hard-working people. The workers and their families are left to 'germinate', grow and survive on corruption. This problem of minimum wages also revolves around unending strike till date. The same scenario play-out across all tiers and levels of governments.
We have leaders that can not think outside the box, the only language they understand is revenue sharing formula. The more reason majority of these lazy governors keep giving excuses on why they can not pay peanut called minimum wage.
At this critical point where majority of Nigerians are living below poverty level, it is highly necessary to raise the discussion to a LIVING WAGE that will afford the labour workforce a decent life. The resources are there to secure living wage for workers if we have genuine and caring leaders. Buhari and other elected political gangs are earning very well far better than their counterparts in developed country like US and UK for doing less work or nothing. We have more than enough resources to pay Nigerian workers living wage. This is where Nigeria needs adequate financial restructuring.
The salaries and wages of all politicians need to be seriously reviewed downward and more policy initiated to curb wastage and reduce leakages similar to BVN and single treasure account.The BVN and single treasure account ought to be reviewed every three months to ensure maximum compliance. Another important consideration is the award of contracts, the due process unit or whoever in charge of this also need re-organisation to measure up with international standards. Some of these measures will increase the available revenues to all governments. All these and others measures suggested by labour unions and experts will enable all governments to have more money to pay living wage to workers.
Another important factor that shows that governments at all level can afford to pay living wage is the volume and level of looted funds in a giving year. Any government with sincerity of purpose will adequately and comfortably pay living wage to Nigerian workers pulling all theses measures together. These are short-term solutions to these wages crisis.
A lasting solutions to this perennial problems is genuine and proper or fiscal restructuring. This is an adequate solutions to many problems bedeviling the country. All areas must be covered including negotiating the unity of Nigeria. Even if it means going back to regional system because many of the states are not viable due to their lazy and do for nothing governors.
Elective post is a voluntary paying work which is something you decide to venture into believing that you have what it takes to help your community/society/country. Nobody force or drag you out from your house or father's house to come and do it taking out 'Nigeria fake arrangement' that my people want me. Therefore their salaries structure should not be something overboard that leave little for real workers generating all the revenues.
The current negotiations will not have any meaningful impact on majority of workers lives if the governments is going to be paying minimum wage because of the level of poverty in the land and high cost of living just as the earlier ones. All governments need to up their game to living wage based on some points I raised above. The issue of negotiating same minimum wage is a poverty creation process and an act of wickedness on the part of criminal politicians who are after their own pockets.
The most and pressing important discussion should be based on other measures to consider if governments adopt living wage. Living wage is what is obtainable in developed countries and some responsible African countries. This will enable the least pay worker to live a comfortable life. Government is about forward thinking process, the LIVING WAGE is one of major factors that might take most workers out of poverty in the absence of necessary Infrastructure and social welfare if consider along the provision of low-cost housing and mass transportation system as well some price control measures by the governments.
Some cosmetics measures adopted by previous and current governments will never reduce the level of poverty in the country. For example offering a small amount of N10K to thousands of small traders is a poverty creation or creating few millionaires among millions of youths through a special schemes is still nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment