Tinubu Committed To Workers’ Welfare, Minimum Wage Review —Shettima

ABUJA – Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the welfare of members of the organised labour, inclu­sive economic policies, and wage reforms.

According to the vice president, President Bola Tinubu is committed to a thriving workforce and an efficient labour ecosystem.

Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with a delegation led by the vis­iting Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Gilbert Houngbo, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Mu­hammad Dingyadi, VP Shettima lauded what he described as Nigeria’s vi­brant labour movement and its role in national de­velopment.

He said, “We have a very vibrant labour movement, led by a competent and pa­triotic Nigerian. President Tinubu is deeply passion­ate about the welfare of Ni­gerian workers. We raised the minimum wage, and most states have started implementing it.

“Some have even gone beyond the N70,000 agreed at the national level. I com­mend the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for their statesmanship and commit­ment to workers’ rights.”

The vice president noted the global workforce trans­formation and Nigeria’s potential to bridge talent gaps, citing the country’s youthful population as a major advantage.

“One in four black men is a Nigerian, and by 2050, we will surpass the United States to become the third most populous nation on earth. The average age in Nigeria is 16.9 years. We have a demographic bulge, but with the right policies, we can transform it into a demographic dividend rather than a demographic disaster,” VP Shettima said.

Senator Shettima ex­pressed confidence in the country’s future workforce, saying, “Our young people are digitally more literate than us. While some tradi­tional jobs may disappear, new opportunities will emerge, and we will equip our youth with the skills to thrive in the evolving glob­al economy.”

The vice president told the ILO chief that the Nige­rian government remains committed to inclusive la­bour policies, fair wages, and economic growth.

“We will continue to en­gage with our friends in the labour movement to ensure progress. We are all patri­ots and partners in build­ing a stronger Nigeria,” he stated.

VP Shettima assured the ILO delegation that President Tinubu, whom he described as an activist himself, would be briefed on their requests upon his return to the country.

“We are all patriots and partners in progress. The president is very much at home with the labour eco­system,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the ILO DG, Mr. Houngbo, thanked the vice president for receiving him and the delegation, noting that his visit to the country as DG was long overdue, partic­ularly given the strategic importance of Nigeria in the ILO, including the pe­riod between June 2023 and June 2024 when it presided over the affairs of the ILO board of directors.

Recalling and appreci­ating Nigeria’s support for his election, Mr, Houngbo said, “Without the mobili­sation of the government of Nigeria and social part­ners in the country, my elec­tion would have been very difficult. Nigeria mobilised a lot of the African constit­uents in ensuring my elec­tion as DG.”

He further said his visit had afforded him the op­portunity to interact with ILO’s social partners in Ni­geria, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and others, noting that their discussions were fruitful.

He appealed to the Fed­eral Government to speed up the finalisation of the reform of the labour code, even as he sought the sup­port of the vice president for the revival of the Na­tional Labour Advisory Council (NLAC), a forum for social dialogue amongst the tripartite constituents.

“We believe that, given the dynamism of the labour market in Nigeria, its pop­ulation, ambition and role in Africa, having the NLAC revived will really be bene­ficial to all,” he added.