Chukwudi Nweje

 Presidential candidate of the Fresh Democratic Party in the last presidential election, Rev. Chris Okotie, has challenged Nigerians to focus more on long-term economic growth of the country.

Okotie said Nigeria should concentrate on multi-product export that would ensure sufficient revenue to meet the recently increased minimumwage.

The pastor of the Household of God Church added that the country cannot continue to rely on crude oil sales alone.

“To continue to depend on the shrinking revenue from crude oil export to finance the federal budget is to put the economy back on the road to recession. Many have expressed fears on the bandwagon effect of the new N30,000 national minimum wage.

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“If the economy slides back into recession from the first quarter of 2020 as glibly predicted by the Zamfara State Governor, Abdul-Aziz Yari, the hope of implementing the new minimum wage may be shattered.”

Rev. Okotie also called for comprehensive reforms of the nation’s labour laws to bring them in harmony with the statutes of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

He advocated harmonious labour-employer relations, describing it as the heat of any buoyant economy.

He said: “A productive work force deserves a decent pay; employers should also respect labour rights so as to avert disruptive strikes.

“Our workers and employers should take this admonition to heart as we begin another democratic journey after the general election.”