APPRECIATION
Salam Alakum! Special appreciation to Allah for keeping the date. My profound appreciation to the NUJ Kwara State Council for dedicating 2016 Ramadan lecture in memory of my darling wife, HAJIA HAMDALAT ABIODUN AREMU. Her children, grand children and relatives in general thank NUJ Kwara for showing that; your “Love for her doesn’t die with her death”. May Almighty Allah reward abundantly all who turn up at the shortest notice for this lecture. I thank my union, through the President of National Union of Textile and garment workers, Comrade John Adaji and the NLC family for the permanent solidarity and support.

Thanks to the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed represented by the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Mahmud Babatunde Ajeigbe. I commend the Governor for the effort to develop a textile industrial park in Kwara State in partnership with the Chinese government.

Last year’s Ramadan, two most important women in my life, my mother Hadjia Afusatu Amoke Aremu and wife Hadjia Hamdalat were with us. The Quran says it all; “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us” (Quran 9:51). Inna lillahi wa ‘inna ‘ilayhi raaji’una. Even though they are not physically present, today with this lecture in the Holy month of Ramadan, spiritually we have shown that act of worship continues after death. May Almighty grant our dead Aljanat Firdausi.

WHY LABOUR WAGES MATTER?
The robust presentation by Professor Abdulrasheed Abiodun Adeoye, Head, Department of the Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Ilorin on the “Perspective on Labour Wages and the Nigerian Situation” is commendable and timely. Both my late mother and wife once worked and lived happily on their modest salaries because the salaries were paid as at when due. They would not believe today that it is now a fashion for some states Governors to own workers salaries for months unend.

WORKERS ARE NOT SLAVES
The difference between a slave and a worker is payment of salaries. Slaves like workers historically had jobs but had no salaries. It is a sad commentary that most states’ civil servants in particular and Nigerian workers in general have been turned into glorified slaves as they work without pay for months. In fact, most workers have unfortunately been turned to working beggars. Alhamdullahi today is the 20th night of Ramadan. For many workers awe bawe nile ni! But for God’s sake, Let’s pause a bit and consider, the plight of that worker who has not been paid for months. If he or she is the breadwinner, it is clear then that the family support collapses. Food must have been difficult to find to feed the children with all the implications for malnutrition. Some kids must have been withdrawn from school on account of non-payment of school fees while Sallah cloth will necessarily elude them. Pray the family is not sick either. Since the breadwinner cannot meet expectation, depression logically replaces love within the household. The options before unpaid workers in a society without social security like Nigeria are therefore better imagined. As a matter of fact, non-payment of salaries amounts to what I called economicide, which means systemic destruction of lives on account of lack of means of live hood.

WAGE DELAY AND NON-PAYMENT IS ECONOMIC CRIME
Its time Nigeria treated wage-related crimes, non-payment, low payment, wage-diversions (so-called ghost payments) as economic crimes!

ALL FAITHS EMPHASISE THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMPT LIVING WAGE FOR A GOOD SOCIETY

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet , said: “Allah Said, ‘I will be the opponent of three on the Day of Judgment:…and one who hires a workman and having taken full work from him, does not pay him his wages.”

On the Day of Judgment, Allah The Exalted will be the opponent of those types of people. Hence, the employers who hire workers then delay their wages for a month or two or three must fear Allah.

‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet , said: “Pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries.”

“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. “You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the LORD and it becomes sin in you.

According to Pope John Paul II; ‘A just wage for the worker is the ultimate test of whether any economic system is performing justly’.

LIVING WAGE, ANTI-CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION

Anti-corruption campaign cannot be sustained when workers do not receive adequate salaries on time. A hungry worker is not only angry but vulnerable to graft. There is a link between economic growth and wage payment. A well paid motivated worker will definitely be productive worker. President Obama as part of the efforts to revive American economy, raised minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour in 2015 and will be increased to $20 per hour in 2020. Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had raised the alarm about low demand for locally produced goods, leading to high inventories and low capacity utilization. Nigeria can only diversify its economy if workers as consumers are well paid to patronize locally produced goods and services.

WAGES, DISCIPLINE AND PRODUCTIVITY
When workers are well paid, then employers can demand for increased productivity and discipline. On the other hand, the worker must satisfy the conditions between him and the employer in what is not prohibited under Sharee‘ah. Allaah The Almighty said (what means): {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.}[Quran 5:1]

The worker must also perform the work that is assigned to him perfectly. Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Ya‘la narrated on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet , said: “Verily, Allah loves that when anyone of you does something he does it perfectly.”

COMMENDATION FOR PRESIDENT BUHARI
Given the importance of wage payment for national development, all arms of governments, namely the executive, judiciary and the National Assembly are expected to declare a State of emergency on the current unacceptable crisis of compensation in the country. It is noteworthy that only President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly called a spade a spade and damned governors who had refused to pay salaries. Addressing State House staff, last Wednesday President Muhammadu Buhari again spoke the mind of labour that it “was a national disgrace” that most states of the federation couldn’t pay salaries of their workers. Some of the salaries owing governors are simply shameless and disgraceful as President Buhari rightly observed.

SHAME DEBTOR-GOVERNORS
All Nigerians must condemn who ever denies workers their legitimate earnings based on any excuse. One of the Governors is Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who barefaced recently declared that “Ondo state is broke, I can’t pay workers”. Governor Mimiko and his like debtor-Colleagues should rather announce their resignations and offer apologies for running aground their states and bankrupt such that they cannot pay salaries of their poor workers. Regrettably the Ondo Governor dared to shout down the protesting workers and even threatened them with mass sack if they persist in their legitimate struggle and did not return to work. It seems some of these governors are either from Afghannistan or so-called ISIS where might and terror not Justice reign supreme. These Governors are certainly not the same elected governors envisaged by Nigerian 1999 constitution. Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, has recently announced that he can also no longer pay salaries.

NON-PAYMENT OF SALARIES, IMPEACHABLE OFFENCE
The governors swore an oath based on 1999 Constitution. Chapter II of the same Constitution deals with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. It says that the duty and responsibility as well as the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people. The same section of the Constitution also says that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring among others that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national (minimum) living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens. Indeed based on the spirit and content of the Constitution, it is not only shameful for some states to renege on salary payments, as President Muhammed Buhari rightly observed but it is also clearly an impeachable offence.

FREQUENTLY SPREAD LIES BY DEBTOR GOVERNORS
One frequently advertised claim of the shameless Governors about non-payment is the falling oil revenue and declining federal allocations. Again as President Buhari asked; when the oil revenue was in surplus what did these states do with the surplus? Surpluses went to corruption. Even now at 38 dollars per barrel, and huge funds looted, Nigeria is still a rich country, albeit with poor people. There is no justification whatsoever for non-payment of salaries of workers just as no Governor has said he is denied his pay not to talk of that of their successors who collect fat monthly pension. As we can see governor Fayase of Ekiti is even unacceptably richer than the state, yet he defaults on salary payments.

COMMEND THE STATES THAT PAY AS AT WHEN DUE
It is commendable that some Governors keep to their oaths of office, respect the spirit of the constitution about welfare and security of the citizens and pay salaries as at when due. Labour salutes Comrade Governor of Edo state who not only pay salaries promptly but commendably raised minimum pay to N25000. Definitely if there is the will, there would be the way for the governors willing to respect the constitution. There is enough for the needs of the masses of the working people, but not enough for the greed of their ruling elite.

NO PAY, NO WORK
I commend the Workers of Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo states who have risen in protests against non-payment of salaries. State councils of NLC and TUC who condone non-payment of salaries are doing a disservice to their members and have no business parading as workers’ representatives. As you point one finger, remember that four other fingers are pointed back at you.