Tinubu approves N70,000 minimum wage

Published

2 months ago

July 18, 2024

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President Bola Tinubu has approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country.

Tinubu announced the minimum wage during a meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the presidential villa on Thursday.

Joe Ajaero, NLC president and Festus Osifo, president of the TUC, were at the meeting.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Nkiru Onyejeocha, minister of state for labour, said Tinubu and the labour leaders agreed that the time limit for the review of the minimum wage should be reduced to three years.

Onyejeocha added that the parties agreed that the time limit of five years for review is too long.

On his part, Ajaero said the N70,000 offer was accepted because of the provision that the minimum wage will be reviewed every three years.

“We are taking this with mixed feelings because of the situation of the economy,” the NLC president said.

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Osifo said the president promised that the minimum wage bill would be transmitted to the national assembly next week.

The TUC president said the labour leaders appealed to the president to intervene in the withheld salaries controversy of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).

BACKGROUND

Over the past few months, the federal and state governments, organised labour, and the private sector have been negotiating a new minimum wage.

Initially, organised labour proposed N615,500 and N494,000 as the new national minimum wage, citing inflation and the prevailing economic hardship.

The federal government proposed N62,000, which was rejected by organised labour.

The labour unions had insisted on N250,000 as the living wage.

The federal government asked the labour unions to demand a more realistic and sustainable minimum wage.

On June 7, governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) said the N60,000 minimum wage for workers is not sustainable.

READ Pay Nnamdi Kanu N1bn, seek political solution, Court orders FG

On June 10, the tripartite committee submitted its report to George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF).

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17 killed in mass shooting in South Africa

Published

34 mins ago

September 28, 2024

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Seventeen people have been killed in a mass shooting in a remote South African town.

According to the BBC, the police said two homesteads in the town of Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape, were targeted.

At least 12 women and one man were said to have been killed in one location, with three women and one man murdered in a second location.

An 18th victim is in critical condition in hospital.

The police said a manhunt for the perpetrators is under way.

Senzo Mchunu, the police minister, is expected to provide an update and visit the area where the attack occurred.

South African media report that the victims were preparing to attend a traditional mourning ceremony for a mother and daughter who were murdered a year ago.

They were packing goods and presents, including furniture, for the event when the attacked occurred on Friday night.

“The gunmen came and shot randomly, killing everyone. Women and children were also killed in the bloody shooting,“ the reports read.

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“This has left the community terrified.”

Officials are yet to determine the motive or make any arrests.

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Tinubu’s planned cabinet reshuffle won’t make any difference, says Buba Galadima

Published

3 hours ago

September 28, 2024

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Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says President Bola Tinubu‘s planned cabinet reshuffle would not make any difference.

On September 25, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Tinubu “has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and he will do it”.

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels TV on Friday, Galadima said reshuffling the cabinet would not curb food inflation.

Galadima claimed that the president intends to reward his cronies with the reshuffle.

“That (planned cabinet reshuffle) has nothing to do with me or any Nigerian. What is of importance to all of us is bringing down the harsh conditions of living and the buck stops only on the table of one man. That is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Galadima said.

“No amount of reshuffling can make a difference. As far as that team is only ‘job for the boys,’ nothing will come out of it.

READ Minimum wage: FG, labour, private sector resume talks after strike

“Anybody that calls himself president or governor is responsible for their cabinet’s performance. He should be told that some of his appointees are more interested in their pockets than service delivery.

“I expected him to do better than this; and to hit the ground running.”

The NNPP chieftain asked Tinubu to find a solution to the country’s foreign exchange crisis “which has seen the naira performing abysmally”.

There have been growing calls from Nigerians and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Tinubu to reshuffle his cabinet and remove underperforming ministers.

Tinubu’s policies have driven petrol prices to record highs and depreciated the naira to record lows since he assumed the reins on May 29, 2023.

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Israel claims Hezbollah leader killed in Beirut strike

Published

4 hours ago

September 28, 2024

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The Israeli military announced early Saturday that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a strike on Beirut.

“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X. Military spokesman Captain David Avraham also confirmed to AFP that the Hezbollah chief had been “eliminated” following strikes Friday on the Lebanese capital.