The secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), George Akume, has appealed to members of the organised labour to be more circumspect in their demands over national minimum wage and the restoration of old electricity tariff.
Akume made the plea while addressing the national executive council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja. He said the shutdown of the national grid by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) amounted to treasonable felony.
“I can’t afford to pay my drivers ₦100,000 each because they are four of them, along with other dependents. Labour initially demanded ₦600,000, which equates to approximately ₦9.9 trillion for the federal government. Where do we get that money from? Then labour reduced it to ₦400,000, which still amounts to over ₦5 trillion. We are asking for understanding because we simply cannot meet these demands,” he said.
The SGF reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to improve the welfare of Nigerians but lamented the loss of revenue by the federal government due to the action of the organised labour.
“We are exploring alternative solutions, such as housing schemes. The Federal Housing authorities are actively collecting lands across states to create housing facilities for a significant portion of the Nigerian populace,” he explained.
