The Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU, on Thursday said that the federal government lacks the ideas on how to tackle the economic challenges.

The labour group also insisted on the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, during the zonal meetings with the Tripartite Committee of the Minimum Wage, where it had proposed about N907,000 as the new minimum wage.

Speaking at the 58^th Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja chapter, the Federal Council Chairman, Comrade Adoga Gupada Aruwa, alleged that Nigeria is at the mercy of the foreign agencies like the International Monetary Fund, IMF whose policies are said to be anti-people.

He said, “I must inform you that our dear country is faced with a lot of challenges. The most vital of these challenges is economic challenge. You will agree with me that our government has no concrete idea on how to solve these challenges.

“We seem to be at the mercy of international agencies who are trying to direct our economic affairs such as the IMF. This of course, may bring about job losses.”

Comrade Aruwa called for unity among workers, stressing that the times in the country required encouragement among members especially on issues outside their primary assignment.

He said, “Comrades, I don’t want us to be repeating ourselves in the area of insecurity because it appears that our government does not have any solution in sight. The consequence of this is that banditry will continue to thrive.”

On the issue of minimum wage, he said that labour is looking forward to a living wage that will be more sustainable, insisting that N907,000 proposal by the NLC.

“The National minimum wage, we’re no longer having the wage that can take us home. So, the NLC, TUC, and all the affiliates,we are on the same page in the struggle that government should increase our national minimum wage, so that we can meet up with the current challenges we’re facing as a result of high cost of living.”

Explaining the essence of the meeting, he said, “The purpose of this meeting is to create awareness, sensitize our workers on the current happenings in the country. It is a constitutional meeting we normally convey twice in a year. This is the first of this year.

Also speaking, the Assistant General Secretary of NSCU, Comrade Daniel Otakpo, said Nigerians are suffering as a result of the fuel subsidy removal because there was no adequate preparation put in place to caution the effect.

He said, “In the first place you ask yourself how was the fuel subsidy removed by the President and Commander-in-Chief? We are aware that he was not quite prepared for the removal of the fuel subsidy because before fuel subsidies should be removed, you should have been put in place some programmes.

“No program was put in place, he just made an announcement thinking it will be as easy as he thinks.

Since the removal of fuel subsidy, Civil Service especially have been finding life very difficult despite the wage award.” (Vanguard: Text, Excluding Headline)

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