The Organised Labour in Nigeria has warned President Bola Tinubu against transmitting a proposed minimum wage bill to the National Assembly without further negotiations and reaching a satisfactory deal with its leadership.

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been locked in a battle with the federal government on its demand for an increase in the minimum wage of Nigerian workers.

While the two parties have not arrived at an agreement, there have been rumours that Tinubu will soon transmit the bill to the National Assembly, but labour has urged the President to consider consulting and reaching an agreement with its leadership before transmitting the proposed bill.

In his Democracy Day broadcast, the President had announced that a consensus had been reached between the Federal Government and Labour on the new minimum wage, a claim both the NLC and TUC promptly debunked.

Tinubu had also stated that an executive bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly to formalise the agreement, emphasising his administration’s preference for a democratic approach over dictatorship in dealing with labour matters.

While speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, a top executive of the NLC who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the labour leaders were disappointed with the government over its delay tactics in handling the wage crisis.

“As things stand, we cannot really do anything until we are aware of what they are trying to do.

“The delay in sending the bill to the National Assembly is even the reason we have yet to call for our NEC meeting.

“The President is supposed to decide on the impasse and then forward the bill to them. They need to come up with an official statement before we can decide on what to tell our people.

“If President Tinubu singlehandedly takes a decision, you know it can’t be the same as the decision of the National Assembly.

“He needs to send the bill so the lawmakers can amend whatever he is sending and call for a public hearing. So we are waiting for him to make his move.

“But if he is wise as we believe, he will not make that move without consulting us directly before even sending the bill.

“If he sends the minimum wage bill based on the position of his government, it means he has taken sides. The wiser thing is for him to intervene since there is a stalemate with the people he sent to negotiate with us.

“But again, we know the Presidency has no idea of what to do and they don’t consult. You only need to sit with some of these people in government to know they are empty. That is the situation at the moment.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered Nigerian civil servants who relocated abroad but are still drawing salaries without formally resigning to refund the accumulated sums they have received during the period or face severe sanctions.

Tinubu, who gave the directive during the 2024 Civil Service Award and Gala Night held at the Continental Hotel in Abuja on Saturday, also directed that supervisors and department heads of the culprits must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch.

Tinubu’s orders came following a recent revelation by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, that there were goverment employees who had relocated abroad but were still drawing salaries without formally resigning.

The President who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, stated that he was dismayed over the attitude of the “foreign based” ghost workers.

“During my recent visit to South Africa, I kept abreast of the week’s activities,” Tinubu said.

“I was particularly struck by the revelations the Head of the Civil Service shared regarding employees who had relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning.

“It is heartening to hear that measures have been taken to address this issue, but we must ensure those responsible are held accountable and restitution is made.

“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected.
Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” Tinubu said.

He warned that the Civil Service cannot just be a workplace where ‘anything is possible and where workers violate rules without the fear of punishment or repercussions.

Tinubu reiterated that the government would take appropriate measures to ensure they were punished and the money refunded to the government treasury.

“The civil service of any nation is too important for such misconduct to take root or be tolerated.

“The Civil Service is the bedrock, the engine, the locomotive of government, which is necessary for the government to deliver public goods to citizens. As politicians, we are no more than drivers of the locomotives that you provide,” he noted.