News

Minimum Wage: Unions Begin Negotiations With State Govts, Today

Published

6 years ago

November 6, 2019

The labour unions in Nigeria would formally write state governments, today, and ask them to begin negotiation on the consequential adjustments arising from the new minimum wage.
The unions said this, yesterday in Abuja at the end of a meeting between the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (NJPSNC) and the states’ joint councils.
They also said the percentages in the agreement they had with the Federal Government would be the minimum they would accept from any state.
Under their agreement with the Federal Government, workers in the COMESS wage structure on salary grade level 7 got 23 per cent increment, grade level 8 got 20 per cent, grade level 9 got 19 per cent, grade level 10 -14 got 16 per cent while grade level 15-17 got 14 per cent.
For those on the second category of wages structures, CONHES, CONRRISE, CONTISS etc, Level 7 got 22.2 per cent, Level 8-14 got 16 per cent, while Level 15-17 got 10.5 per cent.
The Secretary of the unions’ Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Alade Lawal, said the national leaders handed three documents over to the state negotiating council chairmen.
“The first one is the agreement we signed with the Federal Government on the consequential adjustment. We have decided to develop a table on consolidated public salary structure and the consolidated health sector salary arrangement.”
He said the documents were given to state negotiating council chairmen as a guide in their own negotiations in their states.
“The document will not hinder their negotiation with state governments.
It is for the personal use of our members in the states, we are not forwarding it to the state governments,” he said.
“We are hopeful that by December 31, all negotiations should be wrapped up. In areas where we have difficulties, we have decided to move in as a group to shut down the space towards ensuring that implementation is done.”
According to Lawal, the agreement of the unions with the Federal Government was the minimum for the states.
“There are some states that have low salary structure; they have to discuss something higher than what we had with the Federal Government.
“It depends on the peculiarity of the states. If you say 23.2 per cent increase for a level 7 officer in the federal civil service, it boils down to about N15,000. But if you apply the same percentage for workers on the same level in some states’ civil service, it translates to about N4,000. In that case, you have to be able to negotiate a higher percentage to be able to get something close to N15,000 we are talking about in this case and that is where the negotiation comes in,” he said.
“That is why we don’t want to give a blanket statement on what to do. With the discussion we have with the state officers, they know what to do,” he said.
“We also shared with the state council chairmen our experiences, the intrigues to be involved, the blackmail, and the need for them to be honest and resilient. I want to believe that they are well guided on the process,” he said.
Also speaking, the national leader of the negotiation, Anchaver Simon, said the unions had given state governors December 31 as the deadline for implementation of the new minimum wage consequential adjustment.
He said any governor who does not want to pay should be impeached.
“Any governor that is saying he will not pay; I think that governor stands to be impeached.
“We have a benchmark, we have a template, this particular agreement will be taken to the states for implementation.
“For Kaduna State, levels 15 to 17 were not captured. The issue of Kaduna, the governor has been a controversial governor. The so-called implementation of the minimum wage in Kaduna will be revisited, we’ll be sending a national officer to the state, and they should go along with other states.”
Speaking with newsmen, the Kano State Joint Negotiation Committee, Hashim Saleh, said there was no problem from level 1 to 6.
“However, they have not paid yet until we finish the consequential adjustment.
“We wrote to the state government for proper implementation, the government is looking at it now and there is (in place) all necessary machinery from the government side and the labour side for the possibility of implementing the agreement,” he said.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum Chairman, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, had said the agreement between the Federal Government and organised labour on the consequential adjustments was not binding on state governments.
Fayemi said while the state governments had accepted the N30,000 baseline, each will negotiate with its workers on the implementation and the consequential adjustments.
The governor assured that there would be consequential adjustments but that would be determined on a state by state basis.
He said the agreement and directive between the government and labour leaders only applies to federal workers.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the new minimum wage bill into law on April 18.
But its implementation has been stalled over salary adjustments and disagreement between the labour unions and government representatives.
Specifically, the problem centred on the issue of relativity and consequential adjustments of salaries for various categories of workers.

News

Don Lauds RSG, NECA On Job Fair

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

The Tide

The National Coordinator of Embedded Ai -EU Erasmus Project in Nigeria, Prof. Bourdillon Omijeh, has commended the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Rivers State Government for their strategic partnership in organizing the Job Fair 2026.

The Job Fair with theme: “Addressing Youth Employability for Prosperity,” took place at Obi International Conference Center, Port Harcourt, last week.

Speaking as Special Guest, Professor Omijeh stated that result-oriented human capital development and trainings focused on relevant skills is the most effective solution to reducing the high rate of graduate unemployment in Rivers State.

He noted that Nigeria is firmly in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), driven by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and 5G.

According to him, these emerging technologies offer enormous employment and entrepreneurial opportunities across critical sectors, including agriculture, power, Telecommunication, oil and gas, healthcare, and security.

He emphasized the growing shift from job seeking to job creation, explaining that youths equipped with 4IR skills can become innovators, solution providers, and founders of startups and new industries.

Professor Omijeh further stated that Nigeria is richly endowed with talented youths capable of competing globally when properly empowered with the right skills, support, and enabling environment.

He called for sustained collaboration between government, the private sector, and educational institutions to build a future-ready workforce and drive inclusive economic growth in Rivers State.

To the over 4000 teeming youths present, Professor Omijeh said, according to Bill Gate, that “Being born poor is not a fault, but remaining poor in a world of opportunity and skills is a responsibility that must be consciously addressed.

“Don’t allow your current circumstances define your destiny. There’s a seed of greatness in you. Sieze any and every opportunity to develop yourself and acquire the requisite skills.

He passionately urged the Rivers State Government to intentionally invest and fund result-oriented training programmes through the strategic Ministry of Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment and Ministry of Youth Development to increase employability and reduce the rate of graduate unemployment in Rivers State.

He thanked the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and the Honorable Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr. Chisom K. Gbali, for this laudable initiative with NECA.

Professor Bourdillon Omijeh is the National Coordinator of the Embedded Artificial Intelligence (EAI) -EU Erasmus Project in Nigeria; Immediate Past Director of Centre for Information and Telecommunication Engineering Uniport, NCC-Chair Occupant on ICT Uniport; TensorFlow four (4) times award winner on Capacity building on Ai & ML -(2021-2024), CEO-Bourdillon Omijeh Foundation.

As a Professional Mentor, he has facilitated the training of thousands of youths on 4IR- Skills with relevant certifications and evidential engagements.
Follow Prof Bourdillon Omijeh on LinkedIn.

News

Explore Opportunities, Become Employers, Fubara Urges Rivers Youths

Published

4 days ago

January 23, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged youths in the state to take advantage of the vast opportunities available to become employers of labour and contribute meaningfully to growth and development.

Fubara said global trends increasingly favour entrepreneurship and innovation, stressing that youths in Rivers State must not be left behind in harnessing such opportunities.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, the governor stated this while declaring open the 2026 Job Fair organised by the Rivers State Government in partnership with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Speaking on the theme, “Addressing Youth Employability for Prosperity,” the governor acknowledged the responsibility of government to create jobs for its teeming youth population but noted that it was unrealistic to absorb all job seekers into the civil service.

“As a government, we recognise our duty to provide employment opportunities for our teeming youths. However, we also understand that not all youths can be accommodated within the civil service.

“This underscores the need to encourage entrepreneurship across diverse sectors and to partner with other stakeholders, including the youths themselves, so they can transition from being job seekers to employers of labour,” he said.

Fubara further urged participants to continually sharpen their skills and explore opportunities within their immediate environment and the global space through digital platforms.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining peace and providing an enabling environment for youths to develop their potential and thrive.

In a goodwill message, the Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr Chisom Gbali, said the job fair was designed to equip youths with contemporary skills, innovation and mentorship needed to transform them from unemployable to resourceful individuals.

Gbali disclosed that the ministry had rolled out various training and capacity-building programmes in areas such as ICT and artificial intelligence, oil and gas, maritime, and the blue economy.

Delivering the keynote address, the Head of the Department of Human Resources Management, Rivers State University, Dr Chris Biriowu, advised participants to remain informed about evolving sources of employability.

He said the labour market was dynamic and shaped by industry-specific demands, technological advancement, management practices and other emerging factors.

News

King Jaja Impacted Beyond Rivers -Deputy Gov

Published

4 days ago

January 23, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, has poured accolades on late Amayanabo of Opobo, HRM Dandeson Douglas Jaja V, saying his footprints went beyond the State.

Speaking during a condolence visit to the wife of the late king, Prof. Odu said the late monarch contributed meaningfully beyond the shores of Rivers State.

“He contributed not only to Opobo, not only to Rivers State, but to Nigeria as a nation. We all know the various positions he held until his passing. For us as a Commission, we are really going to miss him greatly, especially at this time when his guidance was most needed,” she stressed.

She described the late king as a distinguished traditional ruler whose life and service contributed immensely to the development of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.

The deputy governor, who also serves as Chairman of the Rivers State Boundary Commission, noted that until his demise, King Jaja was an Ex-Officio member of the Commission, representing Rivers South East Senatorial District.

According to her, the late monarch actively participated in several meetings of the Commission and played an important advisory role.

“He actually participated with us in a couple of meetings. It was with great shock that we received the news of his passing. We saw daddy as someone who was very strong, healthy and athletic,” Prof. Odu said.

Prof. Odu explained that the Commission relied heavily on the wisdom of traditional rulers like the late monarch to ensure that its responsibilities were carried out properly and conscientiously.

She assured the family of the Commission’s continued support, saying they will remain close to the family throughout the burial arrangements and beyond.

Addressing the widow, Queen Prudence Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Prof. Odu said the visit was to commiserate with her and encourage her during the period of mourning.

“Please accept our condolences. Please be strong and put your hope in God. The God who watches over widows will never abandon you,” the deputy governor prayed.

“We cannot question God. What has happened has happened. All we can do is to pull ourselves together. That is why we are here to pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen you, that God will turn your sadness into joy and clothe you with a garment of beauty,” she added.

Responding, Queen Jaja described her late husband as a gentle, humble man who was deeply committed to the progress of Rivers State, and Nigeria at large.

She expressed gratitude to the deputy governor and other members of the Boundary Commission for identifying with the family in their moment of grief.

“We are praying that his soul will rest in perfect peace. I thank you very much for coming to console me at this trying moment. Seeing you here has given me comfort. God bless each and every one of you,” she said.

She also offered prayers for the delegation, wishing them a long life and good health.

Highlight of the visit was the presentation Letter of Condolence from the Rivers State Boundary Commission to Queen Jaja.

Kevin Nengia