WORKERS DAY: OUR PAY CAN NO LONGER TAKE US HOME
By Ewere Okonta
08037383019
ewereokonta20@gmail.com
www.ewereokontablog.org.ng
The Nigerian workers, the silent heroes of development and growth, are really implementing government policies and ensuring their delivery to the people at great personal sacrifice; without, however, receiving a commensurate pay. All these despite the fact that in 2019, the then Buhari government increased the minimum wage to thirty thousand naira (₦30,000) per month from Eighteen thousand naira (₦18,000).
Back then, the exchange rate for the US dollars was Three hundred and sixty nine naira (₦369), the inflation rate according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was 11.98%, and the price of the premium motor spirit (PMS) was ₦149.94 per litre. Despite the challenges, the Nigerian workers kept moving, demonstrating resilience and dogged strength.
Fast forward to 2024, the exchange rate of the dollar to Naira has skyrocketed to One thousand, three hundred and fifty naira (₦1350 ) and the inflation rate as at today is an alarming 31.70% according to NBS. The price per litre of the premium motor spirit (PMS) is now stratospheric, hovering around Seven hundred naira to One thousand naira (₦700 to ₦1000) depending on the part of the country from which the product is being bought.
Regrettably, despite these austere realities, the national minimum wage still stagnates at thirty thousand naira (₦30,000), a clear indication that the Nigerian workers are being shortchanged. As a result, workers are now treated as mere cogs in the wheel, their paychecks unable to cater for the basic necessities of life including Medicare, housing, and transportation to their workplaces.
Adding salt to injury, the Nigerian government has just increased the electricity tariffs, putting it beyond the reach of the average worker. The escalating cost of living has placed a severe economic strain on the Nigerian worker.
The price of a bag of rice for example, the staple food of an average Nigerian worker, is now skyrocketing around Seventy thousand naira to One hundred thousand naira (₦70,000 to ₦100,000) depending on the location and the brand. This reality paints a grim picture, as the cost of a bag of rice now surpasses the national minimum wage. Likewise, the cost of bread is also beyond the reach of the worker.
It’s unfortunate, but one might feel compelled to ask: where are the elected union executives of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other trade unions amid all of the economic hardship experienced by Nigerian workers? The answer is blatantly clear. Instead of fighting for the workers, these union executives have sided with the government. Their primary focus seems to be reaping the benefits of their positions, treating Nigerian workers as if they are merely territories to be conquered. In the words of my close friend, Dr. John Okoh, these union executives have become accomplices in our oppression. I find it difficult to disagree with his sentiment.
As we celebrate this year’s May day, the plight of the Nigerian worker should be at the forefront of the federal government’s agenda of the Tinubu’s presidency. We urge the government to use this Workers’ day celebration to revamp the national minimum wage, increasing it to a more living-friendly One hundred and twenty thousand naira (₦120,000) per month.
This call for a pay rise is not a plea for luxury, but a plea for survival. It is necessary to ensure that the wages of workers can afford a decent standard of living and prevent them from sliding into the abysmal pits of poverty and starvation.
The increase in the minimum wage is a matter of national urgency that should be addressed to prevent the needless death of the Nigerian workers due to starvation. As the government enjoys their services, let the workers also enjoy worthy remuneration and a decent standard of living.
Raise the minimum wage now! Because our pay can no longer take us home.
*Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor*