Politics

Minimum wage: My immediate task is to quickly address its implementation - Ngige

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 8:36 PM by Joseph Omotayo

- The minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has assured workers that he would resolve the issue of minimum wage implementation

- Ngige also said the reason he disallowed the registration of United Labour Congress during his first time in office was because they did not meet stipulated requirements

- The reassigned minister also added that he would work fast enough to make sure all Nigerian workers are happy

The reappointed minister of labour and employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has given workers the assurance, that the issues surrounding new minimum wage implementation will soon be resolved.

He also said that he refused the registration of the United Labour Congress during his first term at the ministry because the prospective union did not meet the legal requirement of having 12 new labour unions, The Nation reports.

Ngige made this known to journalists shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari swore him in and assigned him a second time into the ministry during the inauguration of new ministers.

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Ngige and the minister of state, Senator Tayo Alasoudura, are both expected to resume duties at the ministry come Thursday, August 22.

He said “I am coming in with experience. We have been there for three and half years. The President evaluated our efforts and felt that we should return there. That does not mean that we are going back there to sleep or go and be making merry….

“We also have the issue of minimum wage consequential adjustment. My permanent secretary is handling it and they have made some progress. By tomorrow, we will get the hand over note from him and myself and the minister of state will study it and know to key in.

“The important thing is that we want to make sure that matter is addressed as quickly as possible and put a smile on the faces of Nigerian workers.”

The newly appointed minister also added that he remains committed to working with the labour unions in the country. He said that during his first appointment into the ministry, he put in all his energy to all the assignments he was given.