Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, a human and environmental rights advocacy group based in Abia State is aware of migration to a new tax law of 2021/2022 leading to deduction of salaries of state workers in Abia State. While this is not wrong, since the position of the law is clear, the Foundation condemns the inability of the state government to implement the 2019 Minimum Wage Act, which is law of the federation.
Recall that in 2019 former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Minimum Wage Act awarding new salaries to workers at different salary grade levels, the minimum of which is ₦30,000. It is disheartening that five years after the state has yet to implement the Act. This poses a huge question as to whether the state government can implement the new minimum wage of ₦70,000.
In a monthly media chat at the Government House in Umuahia, the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, was quoted as saying:
“A lot of people who felt their salaries were being reduced, when we investigated those complaints, we found that what actually happened was that before now an old tax rate was being applied…. So, at what point would somebody deduct the salaries, and if you deduct, where do you take it to?”
This evidently reveals that the governor is aware of a new tax law to which he had migrated. How come the state under his watch has yet to implement the 2019 Act after one year and counting in office?
As a rights-focused advocacy group, we believe implementation of law should not be as selective as this latest policy direction. Not implementing wage award of 2019 while migrating to 201/22 tax law is in itself unlawful and one wonders what compensation (if any) workers stand to get for not receiving their rightful salaries in the intervening years. It is wrong not implementing the 2019 Act while migrating to the 2011/2 laws. The laws, the Foundation believes, have not been observed in order.
The Foundation calls on Governor Alex Otti to, as a matter of right and urgency, implement the Act of 2019 while the modalities of the current Act are being worked out.
There is no justification for non-implementation of the 2019 Act; none, whatsoever.
Signed:
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor
Executive Director
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria
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