‘It’s cheating’ – Federal workers express outrage over N40,000 added to salaries – Newstrends
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‘It’s cheating’ – Federal workers express outrage over N40,000 added to salaries

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5 months ago

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‘It’s cheating’ – Federal workers express outrage over N40,000 added to salaries

The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has voiced strong opposition to the newly established minimum wage of N70,000, which includes a mere N40,000 increase for federal employees across Nigeria.

In a communique released following a virtual meeting of its members, the Forum lamented the severe hardships facing Nigerians due to what they described as the anti-people policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The communique, signed by FWF National Coordinator Comrade Andrew Emelieze, urged the President to cease the suffering imposed on citizens who, he claimed, are starving, grappling with hunger, and contemplating suicide.

Copies of the communique were forwarded to several high-ranking officials, including the Senate President, Chief Justice of the Federation, Speaker of the National Assembly, Vice President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Labour, Minister of Justice, Head of Service of the Federation, Accountant General of the Federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Salaries and Wages Commission, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), organized labour groups, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), and all federal workers.

Emelieze, a former chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), contended that the new minimum wage of N70,000 was an unfair deal for Nigerian workers amid rising living costs.

He said: “Mr President Sir, the situation at hand is really very bad, worrisome and disturbing . Nigerians are dying of hunger.

“The tough and hard policies you are making has brought untold hardship to the Nigerian people. Our people are now stranded everywhere, almost everybody is now a beggar.

“The Nigerian daily existence is now a struggle for survival. It is as if our people have been ambushed since the removal of subsidy on petrol. It has been tales of lamentations everywhere and things have really fallen apart.

“It is so bad that many more citizens are contemplating suicide , just as suicide rate is more than ever before.

“This your hard and tough decisions have proven to be very harsh, hostile and rash. Sir your policies/reforms is sentencing Nigerians to death, your policies are tantamount to capital punishment.

“The new national minimum wage paid last September shows that only ₦40,000 is added to the salaries of all federal workers across all levels.

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“To us as federal workers, we see the consequential adjustments to the new national minimum wage as inconsequential. What has been down is the extending of the earlier wage award of ₦35,000 upgraded to ₦40,000.

“To us as workers, we feel cheated, this is exploitation of the vulnerable, the federal government is not being fair to the workers.

“How can the price of petrol be increased by over 600% and just ₦40.000 is added to the salaries of workers. We the workers feel that we have been defrauded.

“We are just wondering the essence of the tripartite committee set up for months to review the new national minimum wage. Moreso that ₦70,000 is not a living wage and some states of the federation have promised to pay more than that.

“Mr President Sir, we want to believe you are not aware that all the calculations for wage adjustment amounts to ₦40,000 to all workers including that of our Directors.

“This to us is unlike the civil service calculus and bureaucracy. We the federal workers are badly demoralised and are not happy as our living conditions continues to deteriorate, as we are daily faced with increasing cost of living crisis.

“Mr President Sir, we are calling for your immediate attention, federal government workers are starving, almost everyone is on loan to survive the day,our take home hardly survives us for a week.

“We therefore urge you to personally intervene in the plight of the federal workers.

“We urge you to reevaluate the so called new national minimum wage of ₦70,000 , this to us is ridiculous and should be a national embarrassment and a disgrace. Federal government workers have been financially embarrassed.

“We therefore reject ₦40,000 added to our monthly take home as the new national minimum wage. We urge the federal government to urgently fashion out radical moves to immediately tackle the rising cost of food stuff and other goods and services.”

Noting in particular, the continuous increment on the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as fuel since the hasty removal of fuel subsidy without concrete and alternative arrangements, the Federal workers called for

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“Our society is now stagnant , our naira is badly devalued and prices of goods and services have gone out of the reach of the masses.

“The price of petrol has been increased more than fourteen times since you came to power. Our people are paying a very heavy price for your policies .

“On our part as federal government workers, the story is not different, federal workers are also feeling the pains as a result of your tough policies. Federal workers are dying in silence.

“The price of petrol has gone up from ₦187 to ₦1300 and nothing reasonable is being done to assist the workers to combat the debilitating effects of your hard reforms.

“The ₦35,000 wage award / palliatives given to federal workers was stopped abruptly only after six months of undulating payments in the month of February, five months wage award is still owed the federal workers.”

The Federal workers also raised concerns over promotion arrears as well as backlog of Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) saying, “Sir it is most unfortunate that despite the harsh economy, the federal government is still owing poorly paid workers that are already struggling with survival.

Government is owing years of promotion arrears, backlog of duty tour allowances (DTA) , eight months of 25/35% increments, five months of wage award, arrears of the new national minimum wage, earned allowances of federal tertiary institutions (FTI), hazzard/uniform allowances of military and paramilitary officers and many more arrears owed the federal workers and the pensioners.

“It is also imperative for government to open up the borders and allow for imported food to flood our markets. We demand the payment of 30% of our monthly pay as cost of living allowance (COLA) to all federal workers pending the resolution of this economic crisis.

“We request that our payslip state explicitly the break down of our monthly salary/allowances and that salary payment should not be delayed again.

“We are also calling for the return of payment of leave bonus to all federal workers and the removal of tax on our allowances.

“Mr President Sir , we are urgently waiting for your immediate response as the federal workers cannot cope again with the prevailing hardship. We have endured this pains enough, it is time for you to act and rescue the federal workers and the Nigerian people from this mass hunger.

“We are expecting positive response from you, if the contrary, then we will not hesitate to fight for our survival. We believe actions can be taken and all our backlog of arrears cleared within the next fourteen days. Else, we shall be left with no other option other than to cry out.”

 

‘It’s cheating’ – Federal workers express outrage over N40,000 added to salaries

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Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

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5 days ago

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March 23, 2025

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Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday attributed its neutral position on the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State to the need to steer clear of taking positions that may alienate members with varying political interests.

Taking positions on contentious partisan issues, the NGF said, would not augur well for it, especially in view of its past experience in fundamental division.

Notwithstanding, the declaration of the state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu yesterday generated more kudos and knocks from across the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, said the action of the president was meant to ensure protection of lives and restoration of law and order in the state, while the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said his principal  was required  to “avert needless harm and destruction .”

National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, said Tinubu, by his action, cleared what had manifested as a constitutional crisis in Rivers state.

But former President Goodluck Jonathan saw it from a different perspective.

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He described “abuse of office and power by the three arms of government in the country“ as a dent on Nigeria’s image.

The NGF, in a statement by its Director General Abdulateef Shittu, said it is essentially “an umbrella body for sub-national governments to promote unified policy positions and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in pursuit of sustainable socio-economic growth and the well-being of the people.”

It added: “As a technical and policy hub comprising governors elected on different platforms, the body elects to steer clear of taking positions that may alienate members with varying political interests.

“In whatever language it is written, taking positions on contentious partisan issues would mean a poor sense of history — just a few years after the forum survived a fundamental division following political differences among its members.

“Regardless, the Forum is reputed for its bold positions on governance and general policy matters of profound consequences, such as wages, taxes, education and universal healthcare, among others.”

It asked for “the understanding of the public and the media, confident that appropriate platforms and crisis management mechanisms would take care of any such issues.”

Why governors’ forum is silent on Rivers emergency, by DG

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Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

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5 days ago

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March 22, 2025

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Chairman of the Senate Services Sunday Karimi

Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

Chairman of the Senate Services Sunday Karimi has hailed President Bola Tinubu for the decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

 He told reporters on Friday in Abuja that the President acted in the best interest of the State and Nigeria, having taken his decision in compliance with the Constitution.

“No President or government worth a name, will fold its arms and watch a political situation deteriorate to what we saw unfolding in Rivers State.

“We saw that bombing of pipelines had begun, and the security situation was getting worse with the tension everywhere”, Karimi stated.

Karimi, who represents Kogi-West on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalled the “fatherly role” Tinubu had played in the crisis since 2023 in a bid to get the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara to reach an understanding, to no avail.

He explained: “We were all here in 2023 when Mr President called that truce meeting at the Aso Rock Villa. There was the eight-point agenda for settlement reached between the factions.

“When Nigerians expected that progress should be made to achieve peace, things started deteriorating considerably to a point where the governor demolished the House of Assembly building and administered the state with only three legislators.”

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Karimi observed that with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, which gave the upper hand to the 27 lawmakers loyal to the camp of the FCT Minister, matters merely got worse in the State as the lawmakers were set to impeach the Governor.

“What did you expect would be the implications? There would have been more destruction, killings and economic losses for the country.

“With the bombings that had already started, it was a matter of time before the whole state would be engulfed in flames. No responsible President would sit, arms folded, and allow that to happen “ he added.

The senator further argued that it took “painstaking efforts” by the administration to raise daily crude oil production to around 1,800 barrels, noting that Nigeria’s economy was already “witnessing a rebound under the renewed hope projects of the government.”

“Allowing the situation in Rivers to get worse before he would act, wouldn’t have helped the state or Nigeria as a country in any way.

“Mr. President intervened at the right time, and his actions are covered by law,” he said.

Karimi also spoke on the emergency declaration  in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and a couple of other states by former President Goodluck Jonathan without removing the Governors from office or suspending the state assemblies.

According to him, the case with those States was not generated by political crises but rather security concerns.

“So, I will advise those comparing the two scenarios to remember that one was purely about security threats resulting from the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, while that of Rivers is clearly political.

“It was the proper thing to do to suspend the political actors in the two factions to allow for tensions to diffuse. Nigerians should appreciate the President for the action he has taken so far,” he stated.

Sen. Karimi also noted that there was no cause for alarm as the National Assembly had indicated that the emergency rule could be reviewed as soon as there were signs that things could quickly normalise in Rivers State.

 

Rivers: Tinubu acted to save state, economy, says Karimi

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Just in: Tinubu swears in Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas

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1 week ago

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March 19, 2025

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Just in: Tinubu swears in Rivers Sole Administrator Ibok-ete Ibas 

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Vice Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (Retd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.

The administrator was sworn in on Wednesday after a short meeting with the President.

Tinubu announced the appointment of the retired naval chief at a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, when he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly members.

The President said his decision was based on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, saying he could not continue to watch the political situation in Rivers escalate without taking concrete action.

The suspension of Fubara and other elected representatives has been rejected and condemned by many eminent Nigerians, legal luminaries, groups such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian Bar Association.

However, the emergency rule has been praised by the pro-Nyesom Wike Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule, accusing Fubara of contravening the Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.

Ibas was the Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021.

He is from Cross River State where he had his early education.

The new sole administrator went to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 from where he proceeded to have a successful career in the Navy, rising through the ranks to the very top.

He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management.

President Muhammadu Buhari who appointed him as Chief of Naval Staff conferred him with the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022.

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