A kid might claim ignorance of the incessant ‘tours’ that had in recent times embarked upon by the Nigeria’s Government and the Labour as regards minimum wage but if a full-fledged adult displays such an attitude, he may be regarded as an imbecile.

From the onset, the teeming Nigerians have been watching with keen interest, though with soured physiognomies. In some quarters, many have opined that if care isn’t taken, the excruciating effects of the endless tours is liable to cripple the functionality of the system especially at a point the country is deeply concerned about the fast approaching general elections.

In spite of these concerns, the government is still creating further room for the organized Labour to embark on yet another industrial action in this year being 2022. It’s not anymore news that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is threatening to go on an indefinite strike over the impending hike in electricity tariff and petrol pump price.

It would be very pertinent to appraise some key fundamental facts with a view to presenting a fair and objective analysis herein. Mind you; the fairness as mentioned above has to do with all concerned, not a particular party.

In accordance with the stipulations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) whose principle governs the relationship between the government and labour in any nation across the globe, the national minimum wage is meant to be upwardly reviewed once every five years.

The current N30,000 Nigerian workers are entitled to as minimum wage was signed into law by the government in April 2019. Funnily enough, till date, the Federal Government (FG) led by President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to fully implement the new minimum wage let alone the various state governments.

Prior to signing the N30,000 into law by the President, the organized labour comprising mainly the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) came up with an agitation, reminding the government that onward increment of the workers’ minimum wage of the then N18,000 was long overdue.

In line with the demand, after rigorous consultations, the FG under the watch of President Buhari set up a 30-man tripartite committee consisting of the representatives of the governments, the private sector and the labour union, though the Local Government wasn’t reportedly represented.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment led by Dr. Chris Ngige informed Nigerians that the awaited new national minimum wage would be presented by the committee by the end of the third quarter of September 2018.

It’s noteworthy that prior to the setting up of the tripartite committee, the NLC was proposing N56,000 as new minimum wage. Amidst the committee’s deliberations, N30,000 was reportedly agreed by the sectors involved as was notified by the NLC headed by Comrade Ayuba Waba.

It’s worthy of note that the committee couldn’t come up with any tangible resolution, not until the workers embarked on a warning industrial action.

It’s noteworthy that despite having resolved for N30,000 the FG was afterwards proposing for N24,000 contrary to the figure the committee allegedly agreed upon, knowing full well that the apex government was part of the deliberations.

Despite the fact that the FG, let alone the state governments, is yet to fully implement the N30,000 minimum wage doggedly fought for by the Labour unions, so many increments have thus far been experienced by the workers and the entire citizenry.

The FG’s border closure has continued to worsen food prices; VAT increment from 5.0% to 7.5% which has hurt disposable income;  the purported removal of petrol subsidy which has led to an increase in pump price by 12.4% to N165.0 and electricity tariffs hike by c61.3% from cN31.0/kwh to cN50.0/kwh; have all taken a huge toll on the citizenry.

Despite the arguable necessity of these reforms, inflation is currently at a 36-month high with an incredibly harsh impact on purchasing power in Nigeria. The economic hardship is obviously seriously telling on the ordinary citizens who make up the majority of the entire population.

The workers apparently deploy the strike mechanism whenever the ‘maltreatment’ becomes much unbearable or life-threatening. Could it be that the government has always mistaken their patience cum patriotism for cowardice or inferiority?

It could be recalled that the various state governments under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) offered N22,500 as the new minimum wage, stating the government workers constitute merely about 5% of their respective states’ population.

According to the governors, if the workers end up receiving up to N30,000, their funds would be impoverished, which based on their claim, would be to the detriment of the entire populace or the common man who make up the majority.

It were only states such as Edo, Benue and Bayelsa that then indicated interest to pay any amount, which we all knew was done for political reasons. It’s needless to assert that it was a mere political talk, because the states in question are reportedly yet to fully implement the new minimum wage.

It’s pathetically noteworthy that till date, most establishments in the private sector are yet to pay most of their employees up to N10,000 let alone the N30,000 stipulated by law and no one is talking about it.

A supplementary budget of the new N30,000 Minimum Wage was approved by the lawmakers in 2021 and was duly signed into law by the Presidency, yet virtually the entire federal workers are currently yet to receive their arrears of the new minimum wage. This implies that the government lacks the enthusiasm to take the needed action.

No patriotic Nigerian wants a strike action neither do they want any form of deceit, hence all concerned needn’t be reminded to earnestly do the needful to salvage the country from the ongoing quagmire.

The narrative that the outgoing commissioner of police of Lagos state who was just elevated to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Mr. Hakeem Odumosu can enter any place at will with unhindered access, be it privately owned or publicly owned property is fallacious, illogical and unfounded by any legal standpoint.

Mr. Odumosu despite the fact of being a high ranking police officer is still a police officer, hence a public servant and when a police officer is operating or going about officially to carry out his official duty as provided by the police act and other enabling statutes, he must first identify himself and the law is to the effect that when a police officer is to enter a place even if for the discharge of his official duty like search or arrest he must first be subjected himself to he searched by the owners of the place he’s to enter so not to plant incriminating objects in the place.

Therefore, even if Mr. Odomusu with is security details are entering the Magodo estate to carry out official duties which he claimed (he claimed that he’s attending a strategic meeting in the estate), the security guards of the estate are still within their power and duty to ask the police officers to identify themselves and confirm with them the particular house in estate they are visiting.

This security check carried out is estate entrance where visitors are to call their hosts from the gate to confirm with the security guards before the guards can grant them access into the estate are for security reasons and so the security guards can give the visitors the proper direction to where they are heading to so the visitors don’t end up loitering around the estate searching for their way.

Be it as it may, according to the reports obtained from the estate authorities and residents, the AIG was visiting the estate to attend a social event  hosted by a friend and not for official reasons. Therefore, the act of the commissioner of police ordering the arrest and detention of all the estate security guards for not granting him uninterrupted access into the estate is abuse of power as a police man and abuse of office as the commissioner of police of the state.

The police officer and the police service commission owes an unreserved apology to the residents of the estate and compensation to the security guards as the security guards are only carrying out their duties and are clearly within their bounds. The commissioner only felt embarrassed because his high-horsed ego was bruised by the estate securities by conducting a stop and search on him, hence he decided to use his power to punish the guards. 

For the sake of emphasis, according s.37 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), citizens have right of privacy to their homes, premises, properties and the reasoning or thought that any individual be it a police officer acting in official capacity or personal capacity can have an uninterrupted access to people’s homes is not just fallacious but logically unsound and undoubtedly an argument from an irremediably half-baked rookie student of the law.

For a police officer to enter a home without being hindered, he must first obtain a search warrant to enter and search the home or estate and any act of any individual to interrupt the officer entering the home or premises will be tantamount to obstruction of the cause of justice which the law frowns against….but the Cp was not conducting a search neither was he in possession of a warrant in lieu of the estate, hence he is to be treated like every other private citizen and be subjected to the estate security protocol that every other visitor is to be subjected to.

The constant abuse of power by the high class public servants and public figures should always be called out and the act of the outgoing commissioner of police of Lagos state in the eve of the new year is a no no and should be highly be condemned by all and sundry and the senior police officer should be duly cautioned by his superiors and the police service commission.