By Ewa Innocent, The Sight News
Abakaliki: Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has set up a Joint Committee for the implementation of the new minimum wage recently approved by the Federal government.
The Committee made up of 20 members from both the organised labour and government, is headed by professor Ogbonnaya Chukwu, the commissioner for budget in the state.
Inaugurating the Committee at government house Abakaliki, Umahi charged them to make recommendation on the modalities for the payment of the new wage, with particular attention on the modalities for its implementation as well as carry out other government businesses, emphasizing that the duty of government is not only to pay salaries.
He reminded the Committee that the minimum wage is the least salary paid to the least worker and not a wage review, warning them them to be reasonable enough to ensure that no salary of a junior worker is more than that of a senior worker.
”Let me be very clear that minimum wage is not a wage review. The definition is the total package which the least worker goes home with and so, as we inaugurate you, let us know how we improve on our resources so as to be able to meet up with the payment of minimum wage.
”In doing this assignment you should concentrate deeply on junior workers, but in doing that you make sure that no junior worker earns more than senior worker. It is what is called minimum wage. I have made it clear, if Lagos will pay minimum wage and Rivers will pay minimum wage, we will import all the taxes,revenues, they must begin to apply now in Ebonyi state.
”Definitely, we are going to tamper with our school fees of our Institutions. I have asked the vice to go round and see what school fees are payable in our higher Institution in the state. And we call stakeholders meeting to look at issues because,we must pay minimum wage”.
”This assignment, the outcome is not going to make us to slow in our commitment to see that Ebonyi state is lifted with the last drop of the rain”.
In a similar vein,governor Umahi, also swore in a new high court judge and two new members of the state judicial service commission.
The new High court judge,is Gladson Nwigwe Ugbala,while,the two new members of the state judicial service commission(JSC) are Una Nduka Nweze,and Fidelis Amaechi.
Umahi, charged the new high court judge, Justice Ugbala to carry out the dispensation of justice with the fear of God, just as his appointment was based on merit.
”The work of a Judge is a very difficult one. Sometimes as a governor,you are placed in the same shoe as a Judge. Every decision you make is a decision between you and God. And so, I always ask people to deploy the fear of God in doing their work.”
