By Victor Ahiuma-Young
LAGOS—Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has said the N18,000 new minimum wage will expose state governors who are anti-workers, arguing that any governor who does not want to implement the new wage should be considered anti-workers’ governor and should be treated as such.

TUC, the umbrella body for senior staff associations in the country, in a statement condemned  state governors who despite having the ability to pay even higher than the approved N18,000, prefer to further their self interest and deny the masses basic necessities of life.

The statement issued by the President-General and Secretary-General of TUC, Comrade Peter Esele and Chief John Kolawole, respectively, said: “TUC, having followed with keen interest reactions trailing the Federal Government acceptance to pay Nigerian workers the agreed N18, 000 as the minimum wage, do hereby restate our earlier stance to confront headlong any state government or agencies of government that fails to implement the new wage structure as soon as it is passed into law by the National Assembly.

“We condemn some state governors who despite having the ability to pay even higher than the approved N18, 000, have embarked on the usual habit of kite flying associated with our political office holders who deny the masses basic necessities of life, but rather prefer to further their self interest.

“The Congress also calls on the Nigerian worker to be vigilant over this issue and the end of the day, be able to identify those who are the true enemies of the working class.”

“The endorsement of the bill by the National Council of States, NCS, should not be seen as a final victory yet, until our representatives at the National Assembly makes it a binding law. We urge that we all should watch, pray or if need be, fast till the final victory is won.”

“TUC have also followed comments in the media purportedly issued by a few state’s governors to the effect that their states may go bankrupt should they implement the new wage.

“We are at sea as to why people elected or selected to govern could be bereft of ideas on how best to generate funds to meet new challenges such as the new minimum wage.

We suggest that state governors should learn to depend less on the monthly allocations from the federal government and refocus on new ventures that will yield sustainable revenue and uplift the standard of the citizens.

There is no state in Nigeria without an abundance of two or three forms of natural resources within its domain.

It commended the NCS and the President Jonathan  for their steadfastness and courage in approving the new wage and called on  the National Assembly to  give the passage of the bill an accelerated hearing.

TUC  warned that “this last stage in the entire process should not drag us into further agitations and conflicts or we will be forced to make the nation ungovernable.”