The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has congratulated the former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari for attaining the age of 90 years, saying that Shagari would be recorded as the first democratically elected President to sign into law the first national Minimum Wage Act in Nigeria.

Labour also commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the military for recording resounding victories against Boko Haram insurgents in several areas in Adamawa and Borno States in the last few days.

The Deputy National Chairman of the Congress and General Secretary of the Nigerian Textile Workers Union, Issa Aremu made this known in Kaduna.

He said that Shagari signed the Act during the tenure of the NLC founding President, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, adding that the demand for a minimum national wage in 1981 led to a one- day national strike during the period.

‘’Labour joins other Nigerians and the global community to congratulate the elder statesman and former President of Nigeria, Alhaji Aliyu Usman Shehu Shagari on the occasion of his 90th birthday anniversary on Wednesday February 25, 2015.

‘’The recent national acknowledgement and celebration of the leadership qualities of former President Shagari shows that the problem with Nigeria may not necessarily be absence of leadership but lack of acknowledgement of some worthy leadership qualities of some of the leaders.

He reached a number of agreements with labour over wide range of issues that included minimum wage review, car and leave allowances, provident fund and decent work in general. It is to the eternal credit of Shagari’ tenure and his team (the notable being Alhaji Shehu Musa) that there was only one national strike which lasted one day.”