More than a week after reaching a deal with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to start paying the new minimum wage in December, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno suddenly withdrew from the agreement.
A new minimum salary of N80,000 was approved by the governor for state employees, which is N10,000 more than the federal government-approved national rate of N70,000.
Mr. Eno maintained that the new minimum salary could not be implemented until staff verification was completed, in contrast to his counterpart from Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, who authorized N85,000 as the new minimum wage and started payment in November with October arrears to follow.
He cited “Japa Syndrome”, a term used to describe the exodus of Nigerians for a better life abroad, as reason for his action. He had instead offered to pay 13th month salary to workers, apparently as a compensation.
Mr Eno, however, bowed to pressure from labour in the state over a week ago and signed an agreement with labour to commence payment in December with November arrears to come within the first quarter of next year.
Speaking at the State Christmas Carols in Uyo on Friday evening, Mr Eno backed out, insisting on completion of staff verification as a condition for commencement of payment, a move that may lead to a showdown with labour.
He, however, acknowledged the agreement but said he cannot be coerced into implementing it.
“We had a meeting with labour and at that meeting – tense meeting. We had made some agreements. They wanted the new minimum wage to start in November and I said to them that’s fine but we need to do verification. If they give me the verification today we will start paying in November.
“So we agreed. That is the agreement – agreement is agreement but tonight as your governor, we will pay the 13th month we have already calculated,” he said as the crowd went into a frenzy but their joy was only momentarily.
“I can see you’re happy. We are paying on the old structure,” the crowd went mute, apparently uncomfortable with the decision of the governor.
“But I also told them it is a give and take. If we start from November then the 13th month I had announced to cushion the effect will not hold.
“Because we would not start paying the new structure even though it starts from November we would not start paying until we finished (staff) verification,” he said, reneging on the agreement he signed with Labour in the state.
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“Nobody will force me to do that. I must know the number of workers that are in the civil service in the state. And so Labour gives that to me tonight we start paying tomorrow.
“So don’t let anybody confuse you if they tell you to come and block Government House. Block it, work will still go on. You must understand that we must do the right thing,” he said.
He warned the Labour leaders whom he said are members of the verification committee not to delay the exercise.
In an interview after signing the agreement, Sunny James, the chairperson of the NLC in the state, said the benefits of implementing the new minimum wage far outweigh the 13th month salary.
“And from the perspective of NLC, it is very clear that 13 months’ salary for all junior staff does not meet N20,000, which you know is only basic (salary), and then the new minimum wage is not less than N55,000 for any junior staff, so we need our minimum wage,” Mr. James stated, emphasizing that the governor has the authority to decide on the 13-month salary issue.
Mr. James stated in a statement on Saturday that labor and the governor had reached an agreement for the increased minimum wage to be paid starting this month, in December.
That’s what the agreement says. That is what I understand, but for those in Akwa Ibom, the cold war between labor and the state government has been going on ever since.
In response to what the governor said last night, Mr. James informed this newspaper that labor will convene and choose what to do next.
