The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government and other state governments to follow the example of Imo State by adopting the ₦104,000 minimum wage for workers across the country.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described the initiative by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as commendable and encouraged other leaders to take similar steps.
Ajaero made the remarks during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the 7th National Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) held in Abuja.
The conference tagged “Abuja 2025” has its theme as “Building Trade Unions’ Future through Strategic Organising and Investments”.
“So many people were asking me, is this real? I said, This is a report from Imo State so far. I have reached out to him. Although he told me about it before now. It is real. That is the highest, and to a very large extent, it is commendable,” the NLC chairman said on Friday.
Ajaero explained that during negotiations with the Federal Government, one of the key arguments was the need to consider the capacity of state governments, which is why the Federal Government was hesitant to propose a significantly higher figure.
He added that while the Federal Government admitted it could afford to pay more, it was concerned about disrupting the overall wage structure across the country.
“But if the states have the capacity to pay N100,000 and above, and considering that Imo State is not the highest in terms of revenue, it then means others are encouraged to do more.
“That is the whole essence of the issue of the underlying issue of minimum wage. Minimum wage is the least; states can do better. I think this is an initiative that other governors are supposed to follow.
“You must not wait for the next three years for a wage to be reviewed, especially given the current economic situation, so that people can at least survive,” he said.
Ajaero also voiced concern over certain issues within the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and called for prompt intervention.
“It therefore becomes imperative that we also alert you to a dangerous development. The state, having diverted 40 per cent of workers’ contributions in NSITF, is now seeking to unilaterally amend the NSITF Act.
“This is to allow the government to control a fund that entirely belongs to workers.
“We had demanded that the funds be accounted for and returned so that Nigerian workers will enjoy the benefits of the Agency.”
Also speaking, the President of NUCECFWW, Stephen Okoro, decried the prevalence of unfair labour practices by employers of construction workers, particularly among many multinational and indigenous companies.
He noted that engineers often shoulder the most demanding responsibilities in the construction sector, all in the effort to build a stronger and more future-ready nation.
“We bear the pains, and our job is to ensure that construction work in this country is in good condition.
“We do our best to ensure that we have good roads, buildings well erected, and furniture put in good places. That is our major concern.”
According to him, this is why the union’s leadership has maintained a zero-tolerance stance toward all forms of unfair labour practices over the past four years.
“We believe in the slogan ‘injury to one is injury to all.’” Also our quest for a decent work agenda in all job sites remained relevant in our negotiations to preserve the lives of members and occupational health hazards.
“We look forward to abolishing casualisation in the industry in the near future,” Okoro said.
