Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has come under fire from the leader of the Trade Union Congress, who claims that his administration did worse than Muhammadu Buhari’s and Bola Tinubu’s in terms of worker welfare, especially with relation to the minimum wage.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Speaking in a video shared by SYMFONI, the TUC chairman challenged Obasanjo’s recent remarks on the need for a living wage in Nigeria, questioning the former president’s own track record on the matter.
He pointed out that during Obasanjo’s tenure from 1999 to 2007, Nigerian workers did not enjoy a living wage.
“Former president Obasanjo talked about the fact that the last minimum wage should have been a living wage. That it is not a living wage that we negotiated. We looked at the person.
I mean, Obasanjo was telling us about a living wage, but President Obasanjo was the president in Nigeria between 1999 to 2007. Let’s even leave the first one.
Within this period, what was Nigeria’s minimum wage? Did we have a living wage within this period? The answer clearly is no,” he said.
The TUC chairman highlighted that in 1999, under Obasanjo, the minimum wage was just ₦3,500, and while it was increased to ₦5,500 in 2000, it remained stagnant for seven years until he left office in 2007.
He compared this to the economic realities of the time, noting that the exchange rate was between ₦120 and ₦140 per dollar, meaning the minimum wage was barely $40.
He further pointed out that despite Nigeria securing debt forgiveness during Obasanjo’s administration which reduced the burden of external debt servicing, the government still failed to review workers’ wages for several years.
The remarks have sparked debate, with many questioning Obasanjo’s moral standing to criticize recent administrations on labor issues.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
