The group described the request as wasteful, insensitive and irresponsible,
HURIWA said even though it was, however, reported that President Tinubu had approved N500 million for the SGF, as contained in some leaked memos, the idea of setting up such a “money-guzzling” presidential committee on wage negotiations is absolutely unacceptable.
HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, carpeted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for not advising the President appropriately to consult the already existing governmental institution for wage negotiation.
He queried why the government was wasting N500 million or even N1 billion for a different wage negotiations committee and neglecting the government institution responsible for that even in the face of mass hunger and multidimensional poverty afflicting over 133 million Nigerian households.
The rights group stated that the decision to fritter such precious amount of public funds to fund a temporary committee, was pure economic sabotage and an economic crime of unprecedented dimension.
HURIWA recalled that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission has the statutory mandate, and functions on issues of personnel compensation.
The group lamented that even when there was no need to constitute another wage negotiation committee since there is a body in existence that is recognised by law for such functions, the government, through Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had on January 30, inaugurated a Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
