Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central, has urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise of increasing the minimum wage of workers.
The Kaduna senator who said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday appealed to the government to implement the increment in wages in the third quarter of the year as recently promised by Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Productivity.
According to him, if the promise was made in the interest of the workers, it has to be implemented, but if it was made as a political statement there would certainly be a repercussion.
“The honor of the government and the integrity is to keep to that promise and that pledge if not, it is going to affect the relationship between workers and the government, ‘’he said.
Sani added that the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage was long overdue as workers in the country are facing various challenges and hardships.
He added, “I do not think Nigerian workers are doing well if you look at the reality of life today, the economic situation and compare it to the minimum wage.
“It means what they are earning, there is nothing to write home about as they have bills to settle, school fees for the children, house rents, among others.
“If you put all these into perspectives, you will see that the minimum wage is no more a minimum wage because it cannot even take care of their basic necessities.
“So, as representatives of the people, we have both the constitutional, political, moral responsibility to advance, defend and protect the cause of workers’ demand, ‘’ he said.