FG

According to the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission, a process has been started for the National Minimum Wage to be reviewed.

This was stated in a statement made on Sunday in Abuja by Mr. Emmanuel Njoku, the NSIWC’s Head of Public Affairs.

Njoku stated that the commission has undertaken a series of meetings and trainings in preparation for a nationwide monitoring of the Minimum Wage Act 2019 as part of the process to review the minimum wage, which would be required in 2024.

He claimed that the monitoring, which was scheduled to start on January 23, would determine the degree of compliance of both public and private enterprises and organizations.

He claims that the monitoring team will, among other things, look into whether firms maintain proper records of employee pay and working conditions.

He claimed that the monitoring, whose start date was set for January 23, would assist determine how compliant both public and private enterprises and organizations were.

He states that the monitoring team will, among other things, look into whether or not companies maintain sufficient records of the wages and working conditions of their employees.

“The exercise will enlighten the public and private employers and organisations on the economic benefits in adhering to the payment of the National Minimum Wage.

“It will also help in obtaining baseline data on remuneration policies and practices of private sector organisations in order to enrich the commission’s data bank on staff compensation.

“The monitoring exercise will cover the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

Njoku stated that the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, would be represented on the monitoring team for the exercise.

He lists the National Bureau of Statistics, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office of the Federation, and Head of Service of the Federation as other stakeholders.

The spokesperson urged all branches of the federal, state, and local governments—as well as government-owned companies, businesses in the private sector, and labor unions—to work with the monitoring officers.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Wednesday, said mother tongue will henceforth be used for teaching in primary schools.

Adamu disclosed this while speaking with journalists after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The Minister said the Federal Government understands that implementation will be challenging, adding that the mother tongue will be combined with the English language from the junior secondary school level.

He said, “A memo on national policy was approved by the council. So, Nigeria now has a national language policy and the details will be given later by the ministry.

“One of the highlights is that the government has agreed now that henceforth, instruction in primary schools — the first six years of learning — will be in the mother tongue.

“Theoretically, this policy starts from today, but the use of mother tongue is exclusive. We need time to develop the material, get the teachers, and so on.

“Since the first six years of school should be in the mother tongue, the language of the host community is what will be used because we have 625 languages at the last count and the objective of this policy is to promote and enhance the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages.”

Adamu said the policy is informed by the extinction of some local languages and the government’s determination to preserve cultures.

He added that all Nigerian languages will be prioritised.