Workers Agitation For More Wages Not Peculiar To Nigeria, Says Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, has said the agitation by workers in the country for more wages was not peculiar to Nigeria.

Ngige who spoke at the weekend after receiving the Business Day “Excellence in Public Service Award” in Abuja, described the trend as a worldwide phenomenon caused by global economic shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to him, the labour sector world over was facing threat from multiple and overlapping economic crises, which has given rise to the clamour by workers for more wages.

He said: “The other day that I passed through Bailey, they said airport workers were on strike, only for four days. When I passed through London, the railway workers were on strike, only for three days.They are all demanding for more pay.

“Workers demand for more pay is not peculiar to Nigeria but the problem everywhere in the world today as a result of global economic crunch, occasioned by COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and other things that make it look like everybody will die today.”

“We will not die today. We only have to adjust both as individuals and as a country in order to survive the crunch.”

Ngige who further proffered solutions to addressing the tide of perennial strikes in the country, noted that the International Labour Organization (ILO) recognizes “social dialogue” as the best methodology for addressing industrial issues.

According to him, whether the problem was demand for more wages or quest for better conditions of service, once discussions commence on a round table, it must be given a social face.

He, however, regretted that in Nigeria, people choose to disobey the law, rather than do the right thing, while those who obey the laws and insist on due process were condemned as “odd”.

“In Nigeria, the man who implements the law is a very wicked and stingy man. He is seen as a man who does not understand what the law says. It is even worse in government.”

While warning that if Nigeria must make progress, people should not be made to look odd because they obey the laws of the land, Ngige expressed hope that Nigeria will make tremendous progress if Nigerians obey the laws and do the right things in all facets of their national life.

Earlier, while presenting the award, the publisher of Business Day, Frank Aigbogun acknowledged Ngige’s meritorious service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We congratulate you for how you have distinguished yourself. We congratulate not just you but your team in the ministry, including the Permanent Secretary, directors and staff. We thank you so much for the service and proudly say that you are an example.”