Wage Committee Concludes Soon – Minister

Labour and Productivity Minister Emeka Wogu said in Umuahia that the Justice Alfa Belgore Minimum Wage Committee was on the verge of concluding its report.

Wogu made this known on Thursday after disbursing N8 million equipment and cash to graduates of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under the 4,970 job creation stimulus package.

“The minimum wage committee is almost concluding the issue of minimum wage and other welfare packages for Nigerian workers,” Wogu said.

The minister, who was reacting to a claim by the president of the NLC that the draft was ready, said he was not aware as a representative of the federal government on the matter.

“The President of the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the minister of labour and other stakeholders are members of the committee headed by Belgore,” he said.

He said that committee would soon conclude the wage review.

On the NDE programme, he said that it was encouraging, adding that the directorate had done enough in creating jobs and wealth to fight the cankerworm of unemployment.

“The administration’s programme on job and wealth creation is underway and has gathered impetus because of the kind of support we are getting from the president.

“The focus of President Goodluck Jonathan is on job and wealth creation.  And you can see today that NDE through hard work and zeal has created a lot of jobs and enterprises.

Wogu said that the enterprises created by those trained by NDE would have a multiplier effect by creating other jobs and wealth in the country.

He said that the ministry in collaboration with the directorate had created more than 4, 000 jobs in the first quarter of the year, stressing that the ministry intended to create 20,000 jobs in a period of two years.

The minister said that government was addressing the power sector to aid the cottage industries, which the NDE was pioneering in the country.