The Nigeria Labour Congress on Sunday described the Federal Government’s silence on the N30,000 minimum wage proposal as provocative, stressing that it expected President Muhammadu Buhari to have sent a draft bill to the National Assembly weeks after report on the minimum wage was submitted to him.
Organised labour said it would not wait till eternity for the government on the issue.
In an interview with one of Punch's correspondents, the General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Peter Ozo-Eson, said members of the union were becoming restless with the way the government had handled the issue, adding that unless government acted fast, the union might meet again to review government’s position and take necessary action to press home its demand.
But he did not say when the leadership of the union would likely meet.
Ozo-Eson said, “The latest about the issue of the minimum wage is clear. We expect that since the Presidency had already received our report, the President should have drafted an executive bill to the National Assembly on it so that they can begin to legislate on it.
“That has not been done even though we expect that it should have been done already. We cannot continue to wait forever.
“The next step as I said is for the President to transmit a draft bill to the National Assembly. The FG’s delay on the issue is provocative, our members are becoming restless and the FG must act fast on our report.
“If the delay continues, our next step will be made public after we meet again to review the steps taken so far.”
The Kwara State Police Command on Saturday arrested 14 suspects in Ilorin for allegedly trading in naira notes.
The suspects, comprising young men and women, were picked up in various locations in Ilorin, the state capital, while engaging in the buying and selling of different denominations of naira notes.
Parading the suspects at the police headquarters on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, said they were arrested for trading in the naira.
“The Nigeria Police, in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria, acted on actionable intelligence that some individuals and groups of people were trading in naira notes issued by the CBN contrary to sections 20 and 21 of the CBN Act, which make the trading in the currency a punishable offence,” Okasanmi stated.
He said the suspects were arrested in various locations by men of the command, while huge sums of money in various denominations were recovered from them.
Okasanmi noted that investigation to ascertain the sources of the naira notes was ongoing, while the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.
He advised members of the public to stop abusing the naira, which he described as one of the symbols of the country’s identity.
Okasanmi stated, “The Nigeria Police and the CBN will continue to clamp down on the perpetrators of this offence, which is punishable by law.
“The general public is warned that spraying naira notes at parties, soiling, writing on the naira, squeezing and all other abuse of the Nigerian currency constitute an offence.”
One of the suspects, Adebayo Kazeem, who claimed to be an apprentice, said he was arrested at his master’s shop at Oja Tuntun in Babaoko area of Ilorin, where he was selling different denominations of naira notes to those who had social engagements at the weekend.
Kazeem said his master and the proprietor of the printing press, where he was arrested, claimed that he did not know that selling of naira notes was an offence.
The premiere of Chief Daddy movie held last night at Oriental Hotel, Lagos and alot of celebrities stepped out for it... Toke, Toyin Lawani, Ini Edo, Ebuka are one of those who really stood out. More photos....
