The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has proposed N350, 000 as minimum wage for workers in the country.

Mr Ibeji Nwokoma, NAAT President said this at the association’s 5th National Delegates Conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

The conference was themed “Technology, a recipe for national development and social-economic growth in the 21st century: The Nigerian quest for a better tomorrow”.

Nwokoma said that nothing less than N350,000 monthly would be enough for Nigerian worker to meet the prevailing economic challenges.

According to him, the removal of fuel subsidy, though with purported intentions to streamline the economy, has inadvertently burdened the worker.

“This is coupled with inflationary pressures, particularly in the unbearable food prices, and the volatility of the exchange rate owing to the floating regime adopted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Nigeria must transcend the concept of a mere minimum wage to embrace the notion of a living wage, commensurate with the rising cost of living.

“Comparatively, other African countries have made strides in this regard, recognising the fundamental right of workers to earn wages that afford them dignity and a decent standard of living,.

“On this note, I propose a minimum of N350, 000 for the Nigeria worker as monthly wage,”he said.

He decried the poor funding of tertiary institutions, in spite of the UNESCO-recommended allocation of at least 26 per cent of the national budget to education.

Nwokoma lamented  that Nigeria had persistently fell short of the expectations.

He said the consequence was evident in the deteriorating state of the universities and other tertiary institutions, marked by inadequate funding and infrastructural decay.

“This chronic underfunding hampers academic excellence and impedes the development of human capital, hindering our nations progress,” he said.

Also speaking at the conference,  Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman justified his position that  candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions should be 18 year and above.

According to Mamman, a good number of students below the age of 18 in higher institutions were falling prey to negative vices.

It would be recalled that the minister had advocated for the review of undergraduate age while monitoring the conduct of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Abuja.

On the theme of the conference, the minister said that government was planning to adopt skills and technology from the primary school to the tertiary level.

Mamman said the introduction of skills and technology would go a long way to bridge the unemployment gap.(NAN)

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has assured that the official residence of the Vice President under construction in Abuja, will not obstruct the flow of traffic when the project is completed. The Minister made the statement when he inspected the ongoing construction works at the Vice President’s official residence, over the weekend.

The Minister said the design and conceptualization of the VP’s residence by the Federal Government took into consideration the flow of traffic around the area, adding that the construction work is being carried out according to specification. BWike further disclosed that the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) has made its input into the project and that the FCDA and the contractor executing the project have also made the necessary adjustments.According to the FCT Minister, “Those who designed the Vice President’s residence know why. We are not the ones who designed it. It was the Federal Government that decided that the Vice President’s residence should be located here. So, I’m sure they considered everything before deciding that. “We have invited the office of the NSA and they have taken a look and made their input which the FCDA and the contractor, Julius Berger has taken into cognizance and made amendments. So, for traffic concerns, I don’t think it’s a problem”. Barrister Wike meanwhile expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work and assured that the project will be completed and commissioned by next month. He said “significant progress has been made on the project since his last visit to the site, while the contractor has also promised to hand over the project in May, adding that he has no reason to doubt their capacity. “As for the quality of the job, of course, we can see the work is going according to design and specification. So, we believe, by the grace of God, that is something that will be actualized”, Barr. Wike further stressed.The FCT Minister also reassured that other ongoing infrastructure projects in the FCT scheduled to be completed by May next month would be actualized and opened for public use thereby making the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a reality in the FCT.He said the projects will showcase the President’s achievements within his first year of office, in in fulfillment of the promises he made to Nigerians.

Residents of Urban PrimeTwo Estate at Ogonbo road, Abraham Adesanya in Ajah, Lagos, have staged a peaceful protest against alleged exploitation and highhandedness by the management of Landwey Investment, the estate developer.

The residents came out en masse on Thursday around the environment to speak publicly against the action of the estate developer and seek for justice.

Mr Alfred Igoba, Vice-Chairman, Resident Association of Urban PrimeTwo Estate, said that the developers had cut off water supply for the residents for almost one week.

 Igoba said that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Landwey, Mr Wale Ayilara, had requested the home owners pay N10,000 monthly, totaling N120,000 yearly before they could have access to water.

He stated that they were surprised at such request, because they bought the water pump and were also paying for the electricity bill for the pumping of the water monthly.

According to him, they decided to negotiate with Landwey management since they claim that they own the borehole, to accept N5,000 monthly for their facility, while the residents use the balance to get the water treated for consumption because it was very bad.

Igoba explained that they also offered an alternative to Landwey, that they would pay the N10,000 on the condition that they would get the water treated for consumption, but the CEO allegedly refused to accept either of the offer.

“To our surprise, the company came and cut-off the water supply in the estate which comprises about 420 units, leaving families, most especially women and children, to suffer for water.

“ We went to Ogonbo Police Station to report the incident and the DPO called him to appear for resolution, but he declined.

“ On getting to the borehole facility now, we discovered that the developer has removed the water pump and disconnected the cables, so that we are unable to reconnect it,” he said.

According to him, the home owners have been patronising the services of water tank suppliers at a the cost of N10,000 daily for each trip.

“This has become too unbearable and discomforting for ever family living in the estate,” he said.

He said that the developer had not also provided electricity for the residents since October 2023 due to a damaged transformer.

He said the situation had forced the residents to resort to renting a transformer at N2 million monthly.

According to him, the action of Landwey management is against the agreement entered into at the purchase of the property.

Igoba said the agreement explicitly stated that the estate developer would provide not less than 22 hours electricity supply daily for the home owners through the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).

He said the home owners were paying IKEDC for the monthly power consumption through the developer.

“As at that time, IKEDC was charging us N74 per kilowatt and Landwey was charging us N150 per kilowatt because if there is no electricity supply, they would power the estate with generator.

“On Oct. 3, 2023, our old transformer got burnt and three days later Landwey brought another transformer, which also burnt due to a damaged cable by a company operating around the vicinity.

On service management of the estate, Igoba stated that Landwey in October 2023 wrote the residents that it could no longer manage the estate through its service manager, named Wey Facility.

He appealed to the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency (LASRERA) and the judiciary to wade into the matter and deliver the home owners from the developers.

Reports says that home owners paid within the ranges of N55 million to purchase four bedrooms apartment in the estate, N38 million for three bedrooms and N27 million for two bedrooms apartment.

They also paid developmental levy of N1.5 million, electricity connections and other services, totalling about N5 million for facility in the estate at the point of purchase.

Reacting, An official of LandWey Investment Ltd., Ms Mabel Mayokun, in a statement made available to newsmen, explained why the estate residents’ water was disconnected.

Mayokun stated that the disconnection was due to the inability of the Residents Association Executives to settle utility bills.

She expressed worry that the dispute between the two parties threatened the harmony and operational efficiency of the community, adding that the estate’s residents had gotten increasingly concerned of the development.

“LandWey Investment Ltd., known for its significant contributions to the community and the development of UrbanPrime2 Estate, is dismayed over the actions of the executives.

“Our commitment has always been to the well-being of the residents and the prosperity of UrbanPrime2.

” It is regrettable that such tactics are being employed,” Mayokun said. (NAN)