The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, has advised the federal government to be considerate while labour should be reasonable in determining minimum wage for workers.
He tasked both parties to ensure that the new minimum wage reflected the inflation rates and economic reality in the country.
Ndukuba stated this on Sunday at the Cathedral Church of Advent Life Camp, Abuja while addressing journalists during his Episcopal Visit, to mark the 2024 day of Pentecost.
The Day of Pentecost marks 50 days after Easter Day celebration and brings an end to Easter season.
It is a major feast of the Church’s year when Christians recall how God’s Holy Spirit was given to the Disciples after Jesus’ ascension, empowering them to begin the work of making disciples of all nations.
The cleric, while reacting to question on the fruitless meeting between the federal government and the organised Labour few days ago, called for dialogue in order to avoid future strikes by workers.
Ndukuba further explained that salary increase has not really helped the situation of the average Nigerian workers considering inflation.
He called for consideration from the part of the government, and asked the NLC to be reasonable with its demands
“With the inflation and situation in the country, where families do not know what to eat and how to provide for their needs.
“All we are asking is for the NLC and TUC to be reasonable in their requests and demands while the government should be considerate.
“Somebody said; it is minimum wage for maximum suffering. By this, it means, if we are demanding minimum wage that will make inflation get out of the hand, we will end up in maximum suffering.
“What NLC,TUC are asking for, is for our good, and they need our support, but other aspects need to be put into consideration,” he said
On the essence of the Sunday service, Ndukuba explained: “Today is Pentecost Sunday, when we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church of God.
“Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival. God chose to send the Holy Spirit for the mission and ministry of the Church on the harvest festival, to harvest the world. Not only now, but Jesus is coming back again to harvest the world.
“And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to proclaim the gospel and to live with power for God and that yokes be broken.
“In the Diocese of Abuja, our focus in ministry and mission is such that whatever we are doing is rooted in the word of God. It is Christ centred,” he said.
He said the Church’s focus for the day, would be on the family, where everybody was important to God.
“We are going to induct young children, boys, from the age of three to 17. Last year, during our synod, we resolved that as we nurture the girl child, we should pay attention to the boy child.
“This is because the boy child are endangered species and we need to take care of them. If we are preparing the young girls and teaching them how to be good girls, how to be good ladies
“How to prepare to be a good mother and the one who raises the family, we have to prepare those who are going to marry these wonderful daughters of ours too.
“Our daughters will be honoured, and our sons will grow up in their youth.
“And our prayer is that they will be nurtured right from this young age and they will grow up to be responsible men, fathers of homes and the people who will lead both in home, church and in our society.
