Abia has been implementing minimum wage, labour declares

Governors don’t need N700m monthly security vote, says guber aspirant
Organised Labour in Abia State, at the weekend, affirmed that the state government started implementing the N30, 000 National Minimum Wage since 2019.

It also stated that the state government has implemented the Consolidated Health Salary Structure CONHESS and Consolidated Medical Health Salary Structure CONMES to its Health Workers since 2011.

State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Uchenna Obigwe, made this known during a media briefing at the state NLC Secretariat in Umuahia with chairmen of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Ihechi Eneogwe and Chris Okoro.

Obigwe, who read the statement titled: “Re-Issue Of Minimum Wage In Abia State,” stated that the clarification followed insinuations in some quarters that the state had not implemented the minimum national pay.

“Abia State Government constituted a committee with Okoro, which sat severally and midwifed the N30, 000 Minimum Wage for the state and it remains the best in the South East in all ramifications,” he said.

Debunking the insinuations, the Council consequently wondered why anybody or group should single out Abia State that had implemented the NMW since 2019 as one of the states that have not implemented the National Minimum Wage of 2019”.

MEANWHILE, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Abia State, Dr. Chidi Maduekwe, has declared that a prepared and good manager of the state would not need N700 million as monthly security vote.

Maduekwe, who is the Managing Director of Nigeria Films Corporation (NFC), yesterday, described security vote as “a simple executive excuse to enjoy the people’s money to their own detriment.”

He said as governor, he would not allow such amount of money to appropriated, as security vote, maintaining that a good governor or leader at any level should not need N700 million as security vote monthly, stressing that with half that amount, most of the challenges confronting the youths could be resolved.

Maduekwe also promised that he would revive Abia State with pragmatism, positing that an Abia leader should have experience, exposure and should be efficient, effective based on his consistency and antecedents.

He added that time had passed for sudden sprouting of emergency social crusaders to confuse the electorate, pointing out that in 2023, consistence and proven antecedents should drive good governance in Abia State.