By Daniel Idonor
ABUJA—AN end to the looming industrial crises across Nigeria, Thursday, appears in sight as the National Council of State (NCS), the highest advisory council in the country approved the proposed N18, 000 National Minimum Wage as bench mark for all workers in the country.

From Left, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Gen. Muhhamadu Buhari during the Council of State Meeting Presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan Today Thursday in Abuja.

To this end, the council made up of all former and serving heads of state, leadership of the National Assembly and all the Governors, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately forward the bill to the National Assembly for legislation.

The NCS which was chaired by the President Jonathan also applauded the plans unveiled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of credible general elections next year.

Briefing State House correspondents, after the NCS, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Danjuma Goje governor of Gombe state, said that the council took the decision to back the president on the minimum wage for the “interest of workers and Nigerian economy.

“Council deliberated extensively on the issue of the national minimum wage for the Nigerian workers and council resolved to advice

Mr. President to send a bill to the national assembly requesting the NASS to enact the N18,000 as a minimum wage for workers because it has to be revisited. This is the position of the council and it is done in the interest of the Nigerian workers and in the interest of the economy so at least, our workers will leave a very decent life”.

Goje said, “with this, I believe the problem between the government and the labour will be resolved finally. This is the position of the Council”.

On the issue of legislation that put the minimum wage issue under the exclusive legislative list, he said “given the fact that the resources available to the states in the country are different, while some are rich, others are very poor. Secondly, we are operating a federal system; states should be given the leverage to pay their workers in line with the peculiar situation.

Others can decide to pay N40, 000 per month; others can decide to negotiate downward according to their resources. But that can only be done if the constitution is amended. For now, the minimum wage is binding on all governments and corporate bodies.”

Godswill Akpabio, governor of Akwa Ibom state said that the NCS advised President Jonathan to dialogue with the National Assembly to amend the constitution to remove the issue of minimum wage from the exclusive list to enable state governments negotiate wages based on their financial strength.

According to him “council decided that Mr. President should immediately forward the bill to NASS to enact the new minimum wage in the country to be N18, 000 per month.

The council however, also noted the submissions from various states on the ability or otherwise to meet the newly approved minimum wage for the country”.

Akpabio said that the council “advised that the best approach for any deregulated minimum wage for the country, would be to tinker with the present constitutional” to enable the states “to negotiate their new minimum wage, so that the states that are capable of paying even above what is nationally recommended could do so and then that will also in future allow for flexibility for states that may not be able to pay the current wage.

But in the mean time, what could be applied, will be what has been advised which is N18, 000 unless otherwise advised by the NASS”.

Ikedi Ohakim, governor of Imo state, said, Attahiru Jega, chairman of INEC made a “clear and graphic presentation” of the commission’s intentions regarding next year’s polls and that “we are satisfied that INEC is fully prepared to conduct free and fair election”.

“On INEC, council listened to the professor and we are satisfied and Nigerians will also be satisfied with the INEC. INEC is fully prepared to conduct elections where the votes will count.

One thing we observed from the presentation is that the issue of delineation of fresh constituencies will not take place before the 2011 elections for some obvious reasons.

That was fully explained and INEC will come up with an explanation on that. But the preparation is very critical. INEC has fully prepared its website so that it can monitor the election with the click of a button all the over the country,” he said.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos added that Jega’s presentation “showed a clear commitment to implement free and fair elections. The big and next hurdle is the implementation of the plan, which requires the participation of the stakeholders and compliance with the rules.

INEC must demonstrate through its commitment. But that is big challenge and all stakeholders must be on board to make sure we achieve this”.

Still on the election Sule Lamido, governor of Jigawa state said “I think from the briefing and the commitment, we have no doubt that Nigerians will have a credible elections”.
Past leaders who were present at the meeting were Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhamadu Buhari, Ernest Shonekan, and Shehu Shagari.