ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Ley Your Dreams Come Alive – With FCMB Loans
Home Cover

Minimum Wage: I’ve no regrets sponsoring bill – Hon. Datti Mohammed

...Challenges organised labour to take case to public hearing

28th March 2021
in Cover, Politics
0
Minimum Wage: I’ve no regrets sponsoring bill – Hon. Datti Mohammed
0
SHARES
327
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

In the last few weeks, the House of Representatives has been on the spot over a bill seeking to move the minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent List.

The organised labour, which considers the proposed legislation anti-workers, has threatened to bring down the roof, if the bill is not thrown out.

However, the sponsor, Hon. Garba Datti Muhammad, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Kaduna State, says he has no regret sponsoring the bill.

According to him, the bill is necessary considering the many issues surrounding the payment of a national minimum wage by state governments. Excerpts:

The Organised Labour has been protesting against the bill to move minimum wage to the Concurrent List, which you sponsored. How would you react to this?

The NLC has a right to peaceful demonstration. But in the House we have our own processes. The (NLC) National President has written a letter to me, which I replied that this issue is now beyond me. It has been debated in the House and voted for. It is now the issue of the House. If they are against the bill, like every other bill, there is always public hearing. They can come and state their position.  If they have superior argument with facts and figures, nothing stops the House from withdrawing it. But they should not resort to insults, abuses, intimidation, smear campaign. That will not advance their case.

In every democracy in the world, there is opportunity for lobbying, within the National Assembly. Why are they afraid of constructive engagement. They should come for constructive engagement. Let them present their case. Even more controversial cases have come to this House; people come to present their own position and not through abusing other people. You cannot fight for democracy and at the same time, you reject democratic processes and democratic values. These are the beauty of democracy. Everybody should not be on the same page. The most important thing, all of us are looking for solution for our workers, for   our country. Our approaches may defer. We may have some disagreement. But the way the NLC is going about it, campaigning, pouring abuses in social media; smear campaign, I think it will not help. It is better for them to come for serious engagement. There will be public hearing. That public hearing is not like it is going to be done in secret. It will be open. Everybody will be there. Everybody will see the position being canvassed by each group.  And this is an issue, you cannot just wish away through insults. Prominent legal luminaries like Chief Afe Babalola can come out strongly to support this bill with a very strong article in Tribune. The Punch came up with an editorial in support of our position. The position of Progressives Governors Forum is very clear on this, and many other interest groups. Even the silent majority. So, this thing cannot just be wished away through insults. It has to be debated

What motivated you into sponsoring this bill?

If you will recall there is a committee that was established by the APC, when this issue of restructuring/true federalism came up. It was a committee up of nine governors, some members of the National Assembly, party members. They brought some far reaching recommendations, which was adopted by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). I am also a member of NEC of APC. We adopted this report. It is not a report you just take and put under the carpet. Being a member of that committee, being a member of NEC, being a member of National Assembly, I have a right to present it to the National Assembly for national debate. And we have triggered a national debate on this issue. It is now in the front burner of national discourse. So, I will only advise labour that that old system of intimidation and abuses, smear campaign will not work. Let them engage the National Assembly.

The issue is even beyond me. If it has no merit, it wouldn’t have passed through second reading. The day it was debated, there was a robust debate for almost two and half hours. You could see that almost 80 per cent of people who contributed were for the bill with convincing reasons. Let them come for public hearing whenever the ad hoc committee on Constitution Review calls for memorandum. They can come and canvass their own position.

One of the arguments is that why the bill wants to decentralize minimum wage, the wages of state governors and other government functionaries at the state are fixed at the centre. The bill is believed to be targeted at the workers?

No. It is not targeted at the workers. If you look at the bill critically, you will see that the bill is devoid of any form of sentiments or emotions. It is based on facts. What is the essence of making a law that is not implementable? We have seen that even the N18,000, up to this moment some of the states cannot pay. Now, that it is N30,000, almost more than three quarter of the states cannot afford to pay. And there is no penalty for not paying. Even when this government came, when they negotiated with labour, it is good. But states could not pay, they were given bailouts to pay. But the bailouts are not sustainable. It is just for a period of time. It is just a transitional arrangement. It is no more there. So, how do you pay? So, most of the states are saying they cannot pay unless they reduce their workers by 60 to 70 per cent. So, in that scenario how do you solve your problem? All of us are looking for a way out. Do you agree, okay we agree, retrench 60 to 70 per cent of your workers, then you can pay the remaining that are there? Is that how you want it to be? And the fear of Labour is that we are advocating for decentralization of Labour. No.

Nobody is shutting the door for Labour to negotiate on behalf of states; the way they have been doing it. After every minimum wage issue, they still go back to negotiate with individual states. Like we saw in the case of Kano, that they went there to negotiate with the government again. So, instead doing that, why not negotiate before you even do the minimum wage. That is what we are saying.

Do you have any regrets sponsoring this bill?

I don’t have any regrets. We have triggered a national debate. As I said, there are a lot of people, very prominent Nigerians, that are in support and you cannot wish such people away. I am not saying it is the best thing that will happen, but let them come for public hearing, if they are able to convince Nigerians fine. There are people who are in support and there are people who are against. We will invite everybody.  So, I don’t think, it is anything that I have to regret. I don’t regret anything about it. I am exercising my right as a federal lawmaker. I listened to them saying I don’t even have the right to bring a private member bill on minimum wage. So, why am I here?  You are telling me that I don’t have the right to bring private member bill. I can sponsor any bill that is of national interest. Labour is not the only one that owns Nigeria. Every Nigerian has a right. If they are opposed to what we did, they should come to the House during public hearing and state their case. Not through abuses. Not through blackmail. No.

The Deputy Speaker the day the bill was passed for second reading kicked against it. And he is the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, where this bill has been committed to, does that not mean that the bill is dead on arrival?

Well, the Deputy Speaker has a right as a member of National Assembly. He has the right to contribute to any bill as an individual. So, he is not representing the leadership. He is representing his personal views, which he has the right. But his personal view does not reflect the views of the House as was seen during the debate and the voting pattern. Even at the committee level, each state is represented. Each interest group is represented. So, he is just a presiding officer to preside. But he cannot dictate to the committee, this is democracy. So, the committee will decide. If the majority votes for, there is nothing he can do. If they vote against, there is nothing he can do.

Tags: Hon. Datti Mohammedminimum wageregrets sponsoring bill
Rapheal

Rapheal

Related Posts

Nkanu East lauds Ugwuanyi over Mbah’s emergence as PDP candidate
Politics

Nkanu East lauds Ugwuanyi over Mbah’s emergence as PDP candidate

3rd July 2022
We’re ready for election –INEC
Politics

Primaries: Party members overwhelming us with litigations – INEC boss

3rd July 2022
ISIS: NSA leads Nigeria’s delegation to Morocco
Politics

Osun guber: Be on red alert for disgruntled politicians’ antics, NSA charges security agencies

3rd July 2022
Next Post
Negotiation with bandits totally unacceptable  –Tanko Yunusa

Negotiation with bandits totally unacceptable  –Tanko Yunusa

Build up to 2023 not looking healthy – Sulaiman Abdulaziz, CNG scribe

Build up to 2023 not looking healthy – Sulaiman Abdulaziz, CNG scribe

2023: Power can only shift if APC, PDP pick their presidential candidates from South –Shehu Sani

Insecurity: How Buhari was deceived – Shehu Sani

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

Shettima gives reasons life is hard, unpleasant in Nigeria

Lawan condoles Yobe APC chair over mother’s death

Police raid ESN camp in Ebonyi, kill 1

Bello Matawalle: Taking the bull by the horns

How we hijack petroleum tankers, tie drivers, sell products to black marketers-leader of 10-man robbery gang

Agitations, insurgency‘ll continue in Nigeria except… –Rev Onyema Duruigbo

Trending

FCT and the change mantra
Columns

PDP and the culture of humiliation

3rd July 2022
0

Culture is the way of life of any people. There’s a proverb that when an abomination lasts...

Nkanu East lauds Ugwuanyi over Mbah’s emergence as PDP candidate

Nkanu East lauds Ugwuanyi over Mbah’s emergence as PDP candidate

3rd July 2022
We’re ready for election –INEC

Primaries: Party members overwhelming us with litigations – INEC boss

3rd July 2022
Shettima to Defence: Investigate Auno attack to forestall future occurrence

Shettima gives reasons life is hard, unpleasant in Nigeria

3rd July 2022
NGE: Lawan, Kalu, Tinubu hail new officials

Lawan condoles Yobe APC chair over mother’s death

3rd July 2022
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • PDP and the culture of humiliation
  • Nkanu East lauds Ugwuanyi over Mbah’s emergence as PDP candidate
  • Primaries: Party members overwhelming us with litigations – INEC boss
  • Shettima gives reasons life is hard, unpleasant in Nigeria
  • Lawan condoles Yobe APC chair over mother’s death
  • Police raid ESN camp in Ebonyi, kill 1
  • Bello Matawalle: Taking the bull by the horns
  • How we hijack petroleum tankers, tie drivers, sell products to black marketers-leader of 10-man robbery gang
  • Agitations, insurgency‘ll continue in Nigeria except… –Rev Onyema Duruigbo
  • Catholic Priests to el-Rufai: Provide space to bury all of us
  • Police arrest 3 over alleged human trafficking in Delta
  • Leicester fans label Ndidi ‘King’
  • Super Falcons gun for N208m AWCON prize money
  • … Onumonu rates team high
  • How to treat prostate enlargement
  • UN Ocean conference: Buhari commits to reduce marine plastic pollution
  • It’s not enough to teach wealth creation without giving young people startup capital –Bishop Erumaka
  • We spent N672.9m on PHC in 2021 not N3.03b – Kebbi govt
  • Osun guber: Be on red alert for disgruntled politicians’ antics, NSA charges security agencies
  • Strange fires in the  temple

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Posting....