Start implementing wage awards to ease hardship, Tinubu tells state govs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked state governors to start paying the wage awards pending the determination of a new minimum wage to ease the hardship of the economy on the people.

The President noted that if the states had implemented the wage awards, it would provide much-needed relief without causing inflationary pressures.

He spoke in Minna, Niger State, at the flag-off of the agricultural mechanization revolution for food security and the commissioning of the remodelled domestic terminal of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna.

The President said all states should adopt the wage award, adding that the National Executive Council would have to adopt it.

He said, “If all of you, the sub-nationals have been paying the wages award, pending the determination of the new salary wage. Let all the states start paying the wages award. Whatever they are taking now plus the wage award would relieve the public.

“Please, I am not giving an order. I am appealing to you states, start paying the wages awards; let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people. The mechanism is the fact that it won’t be inflationary if we announce the new salary wage in a few weeks or months. They would have got used to the basic wages of N30,000 plus the wages award, and it will have a dampening effect on the market. Please get sub-nationals together and NEC should adopt this.”

The President assured that the student loans and other economic measures would soon commence as steps are being taken by the government to relieve the people of hunger.

“The student loan programme will commence, there will be unemployment benefits for our graduates, and the social security programme for the elderly and vulnerable will commence, we are fine-tuning all these areas. We will relieve people of hunger.”

Tinubu also outlined plans for a comprehensive programme to address the challenges of violent attacks, cattle rustling, and other related issues.

He pledged to organize an inauguration of the Livestock Change programme in Nigeria within the next few weeks, aiming to transform the current challenges into economic opportunities.

He said, “Give me two to three weeks. You will be part of the inauguration of the livestock change in Nigeria.

“I know what it means to economic sabotage for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetation of our land. It could be painful but when we reorient the herders and make provision for cattle rearing; tovernors should provide the lands and as the President, I am committed to giving you a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem.”

He applauded the continued and aggressive determination of the Niger State governor in ensuring agricultural revolution for food security including efforts being put in place for the state to be one of the top food producers in the country .

He said, “We have seen the level of commitment here from the state level. We have seen leadership. The success story of any leader is the ability to do what they ought to do at the time they ought to do it. You are doing the job, you are walking the talk and I must support you.

“Whatever support you need, you will get. We appreciate your efforts in the infrastructure development of the state, and I guarantee you the federal support. We flag off the hope, you deliver the hope and you reassure Nigerians.”

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, said that agriculture is key to the government’s commitment to addressing the challenges in critical sectors of the economy.

He said his administration would seize every opportunity for the attainment of growth and engender prosperity for the people of the state and Nigeria.

The governor stated that the state had approved 3,000 hectares of land for the special agro-processing free zone out of which 1,000 hectares was dedicated to greenhouses; 1,000 for dairy and meat processing, and the other 1,000 hectares for agro-processing storage, aggregation, and other value chain development components.

Bago stressed that the state government has prioritized agricultural development as a catalyst for economic growth and poverty alleviation as part of its efforts to advance the Federal Government’s aspiration towards food security in Nigeria.

“To further buttress the lead role Niger State is playing in agriculture and contributing to the overall food security of Nigeria, we shall explore over three million of the 8.3 million hectares of arable land, large water bodies with a multitude of tributaries, 23 grazing reserves, and 94 forest reserves.

Bago also announced the partnership between the Niger State Government and the Lagos State designating Lagos State as the off-takers of the state agricultural produce saying,

“This strategic initiative will attract over N1 trillion in investment into our agricultural sector, consequently fostering the creation of more than one million direct and indirect job opportunities.

“This collaboration symbolizes a significant step towards economic empowerment that you laid the solid foundation,” he said.

The programme was attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos; Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia; Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo; Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Osun Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, senators and legislators from the federal and state.