From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Members of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) said they are proposing a minimum wage of N40, 000 for clients that require guard services across the country.
The Association said the request for new minimum wage became necessary due to rising cost of living in Nigeria, and the fact that a well paid guards do their work well.
National President of the Association, Chris Adigwu, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said he is working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the proposed minimum wage is implemented in all states of the federation.
He said: “The salary paid by some of our clients to their staff has been issue of concern to us. This was because there should be a minimum salary payment for staff of private guard companies in Nigeria.
“We know that if our guards are well paid, they would also do their work well and that is why we are proposing a minimum wage of at least, N40, 000, for anyone offerings guard services across the country, irrespective of the location.”
He revealed that the Association has about 1,650 registered private security companies in Nigeria, which has engaged over four million Nigerians, making the Association one of the biggest employers of labour and the biggest employers of youths in the country.
He confirmed that its members are present in the 774 local governments, and are also in virtually every home in the country, adding that they are the best when it comes to intelligence gathering, which he said, could be used to support the state actors.
He disclosed that the Association is faced with the challenge of compliances and multiple taxation, especially from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), just as he called for a review of the tax method for private security guard companies in the country to enable them stay in business.
“We also have the challenge of foreign contractors and other people, such as the vigilantes encroaching into our business.Our members are well profiled before they are licensed and we pay for our renewal fees and are regulated by the government. So, the government should empower us to do our work, rather than allowing other groups to encroach into our business,” he added.
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