House leaders to meet govs, Labour on way forward
GOVERNORS yesterday received overwhelming support from the House of Representatives, which declared their request for the upward review of the current revenue allocation in favour of the states before they can pay the N18,000 minimum wage as being in order.
The Lower House, which rejected a motion that the Legislature should advise state governors to begin the immediate payment of the N18,000 wage pending the review of the revenue allocation formula, said the Federal Government should act first by tinkering with the formula with the states and local councils as the major beneficiaries.
In fact, the House asked the Executive arm of the government to initiate a Bill for the enactment of a new Revenue Allocation Formula in favour of the states and councils to enable the two tiers pay the N18,000 minimum wage.
The House also turned down another motion sponsored by Abubakar Momoh (ACN, Edo State) that the payment of the new wage should not be tied to the removal of fuel subsidy as demanded by the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF).
Momoh also tried to draw the attention of the Legislature to the fact that the National Minimum Wage Act did not need to be domesticated in the states before they implement it but Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, who presided at the session, overruled him.
Ihedioha was quick in declaring that Momoh's argument was noted but had been overtaken by events.
The motion that brought about the Lower Chamber's position was sponsored by Peace Nnaji (Enugu State).
Curiously, the House adopted the prayer of the motion, which empowered its leadership to meet with governors for further discussions on the minimum wage crisis.
Other prayers of the motion that were adopted were a plea "with the organised Labour to allow the House dialogue with the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity and other relevant agencies on the issue and that the leadership of the House should meet with the Nigeria Governors' Forum with a view to resolving this crucial issue once and for all."
Last month, the 36 state governors reviewed the minimum wage controversy and resolved that until the current revenue formula was amended, the states would not be able to pay the new wage.
Led by its Chairman, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, they asked the Federal Government to immediately remove the petroleum subsidy so that the second tier of government would have more funds to implement the Act.
The debate that preceded the resolutions of the House was dramatic. Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN, Lagos) had argued that governors were wrong in their decision not to pay the wage, pointing out that it was already an Act of parliament.
"Law is law. Governors should not select which law of the land to obey. They are the chief law enforcers in their states and if they begin to disobey this minimum wage law, it will send the wrong signals."
Sarki Adah from Sokoto State said the new pay should not be compromised as he argued that when governors share federal allocation and went back to say that they could not pay the wage amounted to "irresponsibility."
But Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta State) opened the assault on the implementation of the wage when he urged the House to meet Labour to compel them to understand the position of the governors.
In her own contribution, Nkeiruka Onyejiocha (PDP, Abia State) stated that the governors knew what to do if they felt that they could not implement the law.
But majority of the lawmakers decided to vote in favour of the governors when questions on the specific prayers were proposed and ruled upon.
In Kaduna State, key officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have said they were behind their national secretariats on the 14-day ultimatum to the states to implement the minimum wage.
Some Labour leaders in the state had agreed with the government to pray for time owing to the deplorable financial position of the government.
At a briefing in Kaduna, Chairman of the TUC, Paul Yaro Jezhi, said the two councils after their executive meeting resolved that the state government should pay the new salary.
Former governor of the state, Balarabe Musa, told The Guardian that "there is no way any state will say it cannot implement the slave wage."
There was pandemonium at the Agodi Secretariat of the NLC as workers attempted to lynch their leaders for accepting the N9,400 old wage the state government insisted on paying.
As soon as the Labour leaders finished briefing the workers on the outcome of their meeting with Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who allegedly insisted on paying the old wage, the aggrieved employees expressed their dissatisfaction and pelted them with stones.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Bashiru Olanrewaju, who led the workers' delegation to the talks with the government told the gathering that Ajimobi insisted on the old rate of N9,400.
Olanrewaju said the government promised to pay the arrears of whatever sum is agreed on after the negotiation exercise.
But the angry workers rejected the offer and declared that there was no going back on their planned strike.
The Guardian