Tina Nkechi

The election season is upon us. Many politicians are making promises for what they may do if elected next year. In addition, we have just had May Day when the trade union leaders made a series of demands. All these promises and demands should be distilled down three key areas. These are the minimum wage and public funding for health and education.

We can test any politician against these minimal demands.  We also need to be organizing in our trade unions to ensure that we achieve at least the follow:

• an immediate Cost of Living Allowance of 100% of the minimum wage and another substantial increase in the minimum wage next year
• a major increase in funding for public health that allows an immediate move to free services in all primary health care centres
• a significant increase in public funding for education that starts by ending all fees for public primary schools.
  
  

Over the last couple of decades the real value of the minimum wage has dropped catastrophically. In 2001, the minimum wage was almost half of the per capita GDP (the average wealth created by each worker).  Now it is less than 10%.  In 2001, the minimum wage could by about 350 litres of petrol.  Now it buy not much more than 50 litres.

So we would need an increase of the minimum wage to around ₦500,000 a month, for it to buy the same amount of goods in the market as it could in 2001.  To buy the same amount of petrol as the minimum wage (then ₦30,000) could buy when Tinubu came to power, we would now need a minimum wage of over ₦200,000.

This is why the NLC and TUC are demanding an immediate doubling of the minimum wage – a very moderate demand.  We will also need another substantial increase next year.

The low level of investment in public health in Nigeria is horrific. We all know that we have to pay for health services even in primary health centres. Public spending on health is only around half the average level for sub-Saharan Africa. So three quarters of the costs of health care come from our own pockets.

As a result, many people cannot afford proper treatment and so die – perhaps one million people each year. This is why we need to demand at least a doubling of the health budgets for both Federal and state governments.

Public funding for education is also pitiful.  As a result, Nigeria has the world’s highest number of out-of-school children – perhaps 20 million. The next generation is being thrown on the rubbish heap because governments only devote a quarter of the international standard to education.

We need to campaign now for our trade unions to fight hard on these three fronts. We must also only give our votes to politicians who are clearly in favour of a decent minimum wage and proper funding for public health and education.