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From Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris has cleared an insinuation in some quarters that his administration are deducting from the workers salaries, refused to implement N70,000 minimum wage stressed that,State Governments are still awaiting Federal Government template and circular on the wage.
Idris stated this while addressing Leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC)and Trade Union Congress(TUC) at Government house, Birnin Kebbi during their courtesy visit.
Idris said: “I want to thank you for the maturity you shown especially in the
area of minimum wage. I have told you my position very clear. I was privilege to see one write up even though I have said it yesterday during the distribution of sports materials. Somebody concurred a write up, evethough when you look at the write up you will know that it was a sponsored write up that Kebbi State deduct salaries of workers up to N5,000 including loan and others Ike that.
*We can’t stopped somebody from saying his mind. But as Government,we would not allow a mischieve makers to mislead our people. Federal Government has not paid the minimum wage,likewise,I learnt that Adamawa state has paid,I don’t know where they got their template. I know, if care is not taken, those workers wlill be short charged.
“” I’m not in a hurry, even though at the national level,all eyes are on me. I will not shine away from that, being the only State Governor that came from Labour extraction. I’m not in a hurry, I will wait till when we get a circular from the Federal Government and table from the Wages Commission and Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Physical Commission .
“And the normal tradition is that,it is the NLC that will bring the wage table, they will send it to us from the federal government but NLC will get it first. Then, the leadership of the Labour will avail us what they received from the Federal Government. But somebody is now saying that workers are expected to take minimum wage by August when even the Federal Government that approved it has not start paying.
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“So, we are looking at the person as mischief maker and if the worker’s salaries are being deducted,the NLC and TUC would have started shouting about it not any other person. Because,we believe in the leadership and followership. So, I don’t want you to be listen to mischief makers. You know me and I am part of you and you know what I can do. So, nobody would tell you people whom I am”.
Governor Idris promised the Labour unions that the state government would cooperate with them to ensure that the right of the workers and privileges are fully addressed.
He added that immediately the state got the template from the Federal Government,the state government would sit down with the leadership of the Congress to agree and implement the new minimum wage.
Earlier,State Chairman of NLC,Comrade Murtala Usman commended the state Governor for taking care of workers welfare in the state, confirming health casual workers to permanent workers, regularizing salaries of doctors in the state equivalent to Federal Government Doctors stressed that the state has continue to experience peace across the state.
He appealed to the Governor not to be derail by the distrators stressed that the federal government has not released template on the minimum wage which would be followed by NLC,and State Governments.
