NUJ urges Tinubu to resolve minimum wage issue and ASUU dispute, calls for journalist protection

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The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on President Bola Tinubu to address the ongoing issue of the minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

The union also urged the President to resolve the pending dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to prevent it from escalating into another significant crisis.

In a 17-paragraph communique released after its quarterly meeting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, the NUJ emphasized the need for the government to consider the joint labor recommendations regarding the minimum wage.

Chris Isiguzo, the NUJ President, informed reporters that the Federal Government’s approved N62,000 minimum wage does not align with the current economic realities in Nigeria.

According to Isiguzo, the NUJ National Executive Council (NEC) is pressing the Federal Government to urgently resolve the outstanding issues with ASUU, emphasizing that the country cannot afford another indefinite strike due to its impact on students.

He also warned security agents and politicians against further attacks on journalists across the nation.

Isiguzo made it clear that the union would no longer tolerate the continuous assaults on its members by security personnel or politicians.

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Furthermore, he stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of journalists as the country prepares for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

The communique reads in part, “NEC frowns at the lingering insecurity across the nation, especially kidnapping and violent crimes in the South East, Insurgency in the North East, Banditry in North West and rising militancy in the South-South as well kidnapping in the South West and cattle rustling and attack on farmlands in the North Central by herders.

“NEC calls on the heads of the nation’s security apparatus to rise to the occasion and address the situation.

“NEC expresses dismay at the increasing cost of living conditions, particularly the prices of essential commodities which are becoming unbearable to Nigerians, and called on the Federal Government to come up with immediate measures to ameliorate the sufferings being faced by Nigerians.

“On this, NEC expressed concerns at the delay in production at the Dangote Refinery, which would have eased the present economic hardship in the country

“NEC frowns at the incessant vandalization of power installations supplying electricity to some States of the North East and other parts of the country, and therefore calls on the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ministry of Power to immediately restore electricity supply to the affected states.”