Organized labour in Nasarawa State has issued a three-week ultimatum to Governor Abdullahi Sule, demanding the immediate implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage and the payment of backlog entitlements totaling N250 million.
The ultimatum was announced by the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Nasarawa State, Ismaila Okoh, during a press briefing in Lafia on Thursday. The announcement followed an emergency meeting between labour leaders and state workers.
Okoh warned that if the state government fails to meet these demands by the end of August, workers across the state would embark on an indefinite strike.
“We are giving the Nasarawa State government until the end of August to start paying the new national minimum wage and other entitlements of workers in the state in order to avert an indefinite strike,” Okoh stated.
He emphasized that civil servants in the state have made significant sacrifices for the development of Nasarawa and urged the government to act swiftly in addressing the welfare of workers.
In response, the state’s Head of Civil Service, Abigail Waya, acknowledged that the government had not yet finalized plans for the implementation of the new minimum wage. However, she assured workers that the state government is committed to improving their welfare.
The atmosphere within the civil service in Nasarawa State has been marked by unease and uncertainty, as repeated government pronouncements regarding the commencement of the new minimum wage have yet to materialize.
The tension surrounding this issue highlights the growing frustration among workers who are eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of these promises.
