C’River workers lament Otu’s N40,000 new minimum wage

Civil servants successful Cross River State person expressed disappointment astir Governor Bassey Otu’s caller minimum wage of N40,000.

The politician announced connected Wednesday portion speaking to people the International Workers’ Day solemnisation astatine the U.J Essueine Stadium successful Calabar.

The workers, who were of precocious anticipation earlier the announcement, lamented that the politician was expected to bash much than N40,000. In an interrogation with The Guardian, a civilian servant, Isu Obiewe, said: “I was blessed astir today, but the announcement of the N40,000 by the politician has spoiled my mood. N40,000 means nothing. It cannot instrumentality you for 1 week not to speech of a full month.

How bash you wage your children’s schoolhouse fees? How bash you work your loans? How bash you wage your rent? We get loans and wage done our nose, due to the fact that the wage is thing to constitute location about, and with the hardship that is biting, we were expecting thing better, if not spectacular, from the governor. We are highly disappointed by that announcement.

“You could spot however the morale of workers changed instantly erstwhile the politician made that announcement. What I was expecting was betwixt N60,000 and N70,000. It’s thing the authorities authorities tin do. Please fto the politician bash thing astir our salary, this is unfair.”

In the aforesaid vein, Ekanem Alex, said: “Workers are not blessed owed to the precocious outgo of surviving successful Nigeria. You tin spot it yourself. When Goodluck Jonathan was the President of Nigeria, this stadium utilized to beryllium filled with people; radical were happy.

“A container of atom was selling astatine N8,000, but present a container of atom goes for N75,000 to N80,000 and the minimum wage that they promised us, they person not implemented. They are adjacent confusing themselves. Considering however things are successful Nigeria, they should wage a minimum wage of N155,000, which is inactive excessively poor.

Earlier, portion addressing workers during the May Day event, Otu said that owed to the state’s thin resources, caused by the statutory national allocation, aggravated by the unfavorable authorities Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the caller minimum wage would beryllium successful enactment with realities alternatively than sentiments.