Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a swipe at the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its handling of workers’ welfare, particularly the delay in paying wage award arrears owed to federal civil servants despite several promises.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Atiku described the government’s conduct as “callous indifference” to workers’ welfare and accused it of sliding into authoritarianism.
The former presidential candidate of the PDP decried the hardship faced by Nigerian workers since the removal of the fuel subsidy on Tinubu’s inauguration day, describing the decision as “hasty and thoughtless.”
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hastily and thoughtlessly removed fuel subsidy on the day of his inauguration, he triggered an economic avalanche that has since buried the average Nigerian under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair,” the statement read.
In the wake of the subsidy removal, the Tinubu administration had promised to pay a monthly wage award of ₦35,000 to federal workers as a temporary measure to cushion the effect pending the conclusion of negotiations on a new national minimum wage. However, Atiku criticised the government for failing to fulfill that promise.
“It took the Tinubu administration a staggering 10 months to arrive at a new minimum wage figure,” Atiku said, noting that “by implication, the Federal Government owes 10 months of wage award arrears.” According to him, only six months have been paid, and that too after what he described as “a series of unfulfilled assurances and avoidable delays.”
As of today, the Federal Government owes four months of wage awards, amounting to ₦35,000 monthly, a total of ₦140,000 per worker., the former Vice President stated.
Atiku commended state governments that have shown “commendable responsibility” in managing labour relations but faulted the federal government for its “utter disdain for workers’ welfare”. “While several state governments have shown commendable responsibility in the management of labour affairs, the Tinubu-led Federal Government has distinguished itself by its callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare,” he wrote
The former VP also condemned the recent arrest of labour rights activist, Comrade Andrew Uche Emelieze. “ To make matters worse, instead of engaging in dialogue or fulfilling its promises, the government has now resorted to tyranny and suppression of free speech. Nearly two weeks ago, Comrade Andrew Uche Emelieze was arrested and detained for attempting to organize a peaceful protest to demand the payment of the overdue wage awards. His only “crime” was speaking up for workers abandoned by the state.”
He called for Emelieze’s immediate and unconditional release, describing his detention as “an affront to democracy, a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker, and a chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration.”
Atiku ended his statement with a rallying call: “Let it be known: Nigerian workers will not be silenced, intimidated, or forgotten. The economic hardship is real, the hunger is biting, and the government has a duty to act, not repress.”
As of the time of this report, the Federal Government was yet to respond to the allegations or provide updates on the wage award arrears or the detention of Comrade Emelieze.
