…announces provisional wage increments for labor, infrastructure support funds for states, cheaper public transport scheme
Nigeria President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the nation belongs to the people of the country and therefore called on Nigerians to love and cherish the country as their very own.
This is contained in the President and Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria’s address in commemoration of the 63rd Independence anniversary of the country.
In an anniversary message toned in empathy, President Tinubu who commended the founding fathers and mothers, whose activism, dedication and leadership gave life to the belief in Nigeria, acknowledged the prevalent hardship in the country, occasioned majorly by fuel subsidy removal and floating of the foreign exchange rate. He however noted that it must be endured as costs of reaching a future Nigeria where the abundance and fruits of the nation are fairly shared among all
Tinubu said “Reform may be painful, but it is what greatness and the future require, We now carry the costs of reaching a future Nigeria where the abundance and fruits of the nation are fairly shared among all, not hoarded by a select and greedy few. A Nigeria where hunger, poverty and hardship are pushed into the shadows of an ever fading past.
“There is no joy in seeing the people of this nation shoulder burdens that should have been shed years ago. I wish today’s difficulties did not exist. But we must endure if we are to reach the good side of our future”, he added.
The President also announced introduction of a provisional wage increase for the next six months to enhance the federal minimum wage to cushion the effect of the ongoing economic reforms without causing undue inflation, a decision which he said was based on talks with labour, business and other stakeholders. Under this scheme, the average low grade worker is expected to receive an additional Twenty Five Thousand naira per month.
To ensure better grassroots development, Tinubu also announced an Infrastructure Support Fund for states to invest in critical areas. States have already received funds to provide relief packages against the impact of rising food and other prices. Including the deployment of cheaper, safer Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses across the nation to ease transportation burden.
“These buses will operate at a fraction of current fuel prices, positively affecting transport fares”, the President said.
