The organised labour says it will not accept N62,000 or N100,000 as the minimum wage for workers.

Speaking on ‘Morning Brief’, a Channels Television programme, on Monday, Chris Onyeka, assistant general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the union will not negotiate a ”starvation wage”.

On June 4, the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) “relaxed” their nationwide strike for one week.

The labour unions had embarked on the strike after negotiations with the federal government on a new minimum wage hit a brick wall.

The organised labour had repeatedly proposed N615,500 and N494,000 as the new national minimum wage, which the government said was unrealistic.

On June 7, the federal government increased its offer for the new minimum wage for workers from N60,000 to N62,000; the labour unions insisted on ₦250,000 at the last meeting of the tripartite committee on minimum wage as the living wage for an average Nigerian worker.

Afterwards, Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo state, said the tripartite committee on the minimum wage is close to reaching a consensus.

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

Speaking on Monday, Onyeka insisted that labour won’t accept the latest offer of ₦62,000 and the ₦100,000 proposal by some individuals and economists.

“Our position is very clear, we have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what Nigerian workers can take home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage,” Onyeka said.

“We have never contemplated ₦100,000 let alone of ₦62,000. We are still at ₦250,000; that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation. We are not just driven by frivolities but also by the realities of the market place—the realities of things we buy every day: bags of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.”

Onyeka said the one-week ultimatum given to the federal government since the ”relaxation of its strike” would expire by midnight on Tuesday, June 11.

He said that should the federal government and national assembly fail to act on the demands of workers by tomorrow, the joint NLC and TUC would meet to decide on the resumption of the nationwide industrial action.

“The federal government and the national assembly have the call now. It is not our call. Our demand is there for the government to look at and send an executive bill to the national assembly and for the national assembly to look at what we have demanded, the various facts of the law, and then come up with a national minimum act that meets our demands,” he said.

“If that does not meet our demand, we have given the federal government one-week notice to look at the issues and that one week expires tomorrow. If, after tomorrow, we have not seen any tangible response from the government, the organs of the organised labour will meet to decide what to do next.

“It was clear what we said. We said we were relaxing a nationwide indefinite strike. It’s like putting a pause on it. So, if you put a pause on something and the organs that govern us as trade unions decide that we should remove that pause, it means that we go back to what was in existence before.”

The police command in Ondo has urged youths in the state to exercise restraint over their grievances against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The police asked the youths to comport themselves and act within the ambit of the law during their protest against the EFCC.

On Saturday, EFCC operatives raided two clubs simultaneously in Akure, the Ondo state capital, and arrested 127 suspected internet fraudsters.

There have been social media reports online alleging assault and theft by the EFCC operatives during the raid.

There were also allegations that the operatives destroyed the CCTV devices in the clubs.

Reacting to the allegations, the anti-graft agency said the operation was devoid of any incident as the EFCC operatives “conducted themselves professionally”.

”The commission wishes to state that no suspect was assaulted, brutalised or subjected to any dehumanising treatment during the Saturday operation. It is also false that tear gas was fired at the crime scene,” EFCC had said.

POLICE APPEAL

In a statement on Monday, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, Ondo police spokesperson, urged the youths to channel their complaints to the appropriate authorities for redress.

“The command recognizes the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest but these rights must be exercised without breach of public order and non infringement on the rights of other law abiding citizens,” the statement reads.

“Police owe a duty to protect the rights of all citizens and foreign nationals resident within or transiting through the state at all times.

“We appeal to the good people of Ondo dtate especially the youths who claimed to have been adversely affected by the sting operation to act with restraint and comport themselves within the ambits of the laws of the land.”

Currently, residents are on the streets in some parts of Akure to protest against alleged assault by EFCC operatives.

The protesters are demanding for the unconditional release of the suspects arrested at the clubs.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Nkiruka Maduekwe as the director-general/chief executive officer of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC).

In a statement issued on Sunday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, said Maduekwe will serve in acting capacity pending her confirmation by the NCCC supervisory council.

He said Maduekwe’s appointment is in accordance with Tinubu’s “commitment to actualise Nigeria’s green industrial vision, boost investor confidence, and unlock sustainable economic value through various climate finance instruments”.

The president also approved Maduekwe to serve as the co-chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP).

Maduekwe, 39, takes over from Salisu Dahiri, pioneer DG of NCCC, whom she served as legal adviser.

She holds a bachelor of law degree, a master’s degree in environmental law and policy from the University of Dundee, UK, and a doctorate degree in Law from the University of Hull, UK.

“Maduekwe has over 15 years of national and international experience in climate policy development and project implementation. She previously served as Nigeria National Coordinator, Climate Parliament. Climate Parliament is an international, multi-partisan network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy,” the statement reads.

Tinubu also approved the appointment of Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng as senior special assistant to the president on climate finance and stakeholder engagement.

Shelleng, 40, is seconded to the NCCC secretariat, where he will handle all matters related to climate finance and stakeholder/donor relations.

He is also to assume the position of secretary of the intergovernmental committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP), and serve as a member of the presidential committee on climate action and green economic solutions, as well as the presidential steering committee on Project Evergreen.

“Mr. Shelleng, who holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has served in leading roles across multiple financial institutions, and was Head of Business Development for the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company PLC (NMRC) before his appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the President,” the statement reads.

“The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Olamide Fagbuji, 44, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Office of the President. He is seconded to the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) Secretariat, where he will oversee the digitalization of a new open procurement process and cross-departmental procedural optimization initiative.

“Mr. Fagbuji served as Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters under the previous administration, and was most recently the Technical Adviser to the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) on Policy Research and Strategy. He is a policy analyst and computer scientist.

“The President expects the new appointees to bring their expertise and discipline to bear in these very important assignments in pursuance of the nation’s aspiration on green industrial development and climate action for sustainable growth and national prosperity.”

All the appointments take immediate effect.