Steady increasing the commas…
Federal government wants to take you out of your “overworked-underpaid” era
Good morning, Big Brains. Another day for capitalism to capitalise. Writing today’s newsletter sent me to la-la land. What if the federal government pulled off a Nigeria where people got paid based on the amount of effort they put into their jobs? Find the answer in today’s edition.
- Margaret
Word count: ~1400
Reading time ~5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Get Ready To Say Goodbye to Your Overworked-Underpaid Era With New Wage System
EFCC Levels New Charges Against Former Minister of Aviation and Brother in ₦19.4bn Fraud Case
Women's Affairs Minister Takes Legal Action Against Niger Speaker’s Plan To Marry Off 100 girls
The Big Deal
Get Ready To Say Goodbye to Your Overworked-Underpaid Era With New Wage System
Nigeria is about to move from its “overworked-underpaid” era.
What does this mean?
There is a proposed wage system in the works for civil servants which would help to increase productivity in the country. With this wage system, workers will get paid based on their performance.
During a discussion with Labor Correspondents on Monday, Dr. Nasir Raji-Mustapha, the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), said this wage system is being considered because the federal government understands that productivity is necessary for the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
“Those who are productive are rewarded for their efforts irrespective of their grade level. Under the proposed system, employees on the same salary scale can earn different wages.”
He also mentioned that the wage plan had been in progress for a few years, during which they held a stakeholders’ forum where labour unions participated and supported the proposal. Now that the report for the initial phase of the study is ready, the next step is reaching out to stakeholders to gather their thoughts before presenting it to the federal government for potential adoption.
Why is this a big deal?
Nigerians are no strangers to working overtime and receiving minimal pay — both of which can lead to burn out and reduced productivity. In 2023, about 66.8% of employed Nigerians worked for 40 hours or more per week. During this time, the minimum wage in Nigeria was ₦30,000 which is barely enough to buy a bag of rice today. If this proposed wage system is approved, it would signal a shift in Nigeria's approach to compensating civil servants, leading to a more balanced and productive life for Nigerian workers.
EFCC Levels New Charges Against Former Minister of Aviation and Brother in ₦19.4bn Fraud Case
The former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, knows how to keep money in the family, allegedly, of course. Last week, we reported that Sirika allegedly used his position as the Minister of Aviation to award contracts to his daughter, son in-law and associates. They pleaded not guilty and the judge granted them bail of ₦100 million. The judge also added that if they are unable to pay immediately, they should remain in custody until they are able to perfect the bail.
Sirika has found himself in court again, this time with his brother, and the fresh accusations are similar to the previous ones. Sirika, his brother Ahmad Sirika, and a company called Enginos Nigeria Limited have been charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC) with fraud amounting to over ₦19.4bn. The charges can be traced to contracts within the aviation ministry allegedly awarded to Enginos Nigeria Limited, a company owned by Sirika’s brother. The EFCC says Sirika broke the law under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which states that “any person who corruptly gives, confers or procures any property or benefit of any kind to, on or for a public officer or to, on or for any other person; or promises or offers to give, confers, procures or attempts to procure any property or benefit of any kind to, on or for a public officer or any other person, on account of any such act, omission, favour or disfavour to be done or shown by the public officer is guilty of an offence of official corruption and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for seven (7) years”.
What’s next for the Sirika brothers?
Their arraignment before Justice Belgore in Abuja was scheduled for yesterday, Tuesday, May 14, but the legal process was postponed due to the EFCC's failure to effect the service of charge against the brothers. The case has been adjourned till May 23 so keep reading TBD to keep up with the Sirika’s.
Women's Affairs Minister Takes Legal Action Against Niger Speaker’s Plan To Marry Off 100 girls
In normal countries, constituency empowerment projects are supposed to be developmental projects executed by elected officials in their constituencies. But in Nigeria, constituency empowerment projects mean marrying 100 orphan girls off to God-knows-who.
Last week, the speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, announced plans to marry off 100 female orphans who lost their parents to banditry attacks in Mariga Local Government Area.
Sarkindaji promised to pay the dowries for the bridegrooms and buy everything needed for the mass marriage ceremony fixed for May 24.
The Speaker also added that the initiative is part of his constituency empowerment project, “aimed at alleviating the suffering of the impoverished.” He didn’t say how old the girls in question were.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, is not impressed with the Speaker’s plan and has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to put a stop to it.
She will also launch an investigation to learn how old these girls are and whether they gave their consent to the Speaker or they are being forced into marriage.
“As the speaker did not think about empowering these women or sending them to school or giving them some kind of training support financially. The Women Affairs have decided to take it up and we are going to educate the children. Those that do not want to go to school, we will train them in a skill, empower them with sustainable empowerment machines to enable that child build his or her life and make up her mind about who and when to get married.”
She advised the Speaker not to oppose any of the steps she plans to take as there will be legal consequences.
This Week’s Big Question
“If you could have one superpower as a Nigerian, what would it be?”
Funmi’s response - “Uber prices are going crazy right now so it has to be teleportation.”
You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Funmi’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
FG Approves N1bn For Construction Of Hostels In 12 Institutions: The Government has approved N1 billion to construct housing facilities in twelve selected tertiary institutions across the country. These institutions consist of six universities, three polytechnics, and three colleges of education.
Police Confirm Kidnap Of Dangote Cement Workers, Say Rescue Efforts Ongoing: The Edo State Police Command has confirmed that a large group of people, reportedly employees of Dangote Cement Company, were kidnapped in Okpella, located in the Etsako East Local Government Area of the state.
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