Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Immediate past vice president, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu, has declared that the only way to sustain the efforts of the present administration on war against corruption is to ensure that workers receive adequate salaries and without delay.
He made the declaration in Ilorin over the weekend while speaking at the first memorial Ramadan lecture organized in honour of his late wife, Alhaja Hamdalat Aremu held at Late Dr. Olusola Saraki Pen Hall of the Kwara state council of the Nigeria of Journalists (NUJ), Ilorin.
According to him, ”A hungry worker is not only angry but vulnerable to graft”, he said, “There is a link between economic growth and wage payment. A well paid motivated worker will definitely be a productive worker.
“President Obama as part of the efforts to revive American economy, raised minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour in 2015 and to $20 per hour in 2020.
“Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had raised the alarm about low demand for locally produced goods, leading to high inventories and low capacity utilization.
“Nigeria can only diversify its economy if workers as consumers are
well paid to patronize locally produced goods and services”.
Aremu added that workers are not supposed to be slaves saying, “The difference between a slave and a worker is payment of salaries.
”Slaves, like workers, historically had jobs but had no salaries and it is a sad commentary that most states’ civil servants in particular and Nigerian workers in general have been turned into glorified slaves as they work without pay for months.”
