BABAJIDE OKEOWO
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has declared that the N30,000 minimum wage signed into law by the President recently would only be meaningful to the average Nigerian if inflation and lack of basic amenities in the countryare addressed.
PENGASSAN explained that the issue of inflation and basic amenities in the country, such as well-equipped public hospitals, standard public schools, electricity, potable water, transport infrastructure, etc. must be addressed for the new minimum wage to be significant.
According to the Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, Comrade AzubuikeAzubuike, the new minimum wage was not a milestone until the welfare and interest of the masses are met.
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Azubuike said it was regrettable that while public schools today have been so much bastardised and made unconducive for learning, the political class and the people within the corridors of political power were all products of public schools.
“N30, 000 minimum wage will be meaningless if inflation and basic amenities are not addressed. I always tell people, what we really need are people who have a passion for this country. People who respect and feel the welfare of the citizenry.
“In the second republic, when we didn’t even have much money as a country, people like Lateef Jakande, Ambrose Ali and Sam Mbakwe, were able to do great things not that there was much money but because they had the interest of the masses at heart.
“So when we are talking about N30, 000 minimum wage as a milestone, it’s good, but the issue is that there are things that we need to address in order to ensure the N30, 000 remains a minimum wage. For instance, if we don’t have efficient social amenities such as pipe-borne water, electricity, functional hospital and schools, the N30, 000 means nothing.
“So if these things are not put in place, I can assure that N30, 000 minimum wage will be meaningless.”
