Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and an arrowhead of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, has berated President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the failure to pay workers’ wages, while demanding the release of Andrew Uche Emelieze, arrested over his calls for workers’ wage payment.

Mr Abubakar, in a statement on Sunday, lashed out at Mr Tinubu for “hastily and thoughtlessly removing fuel subsidy on the day of his inauguration, triggering an economic avalanche that has since buried the average Nigerian under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair.”

The opposition politician condemned Mr Tinubu’s failure to pay workers their wages amid economic hardships triggered by his policies, adding, “while several state governments have shown commendable responsibility in the management of labour affairs, the Tinubu-led Federal Government has distinguished itself by its callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare.”

“In a bid to manage the self-inflicted crisis, the administration promised to pay a wage award to federal civil servants as a temporary cushion, pending the conclusion of negotiations on a new national minimum wage. That promise, like many others under this government, has become a broken covenant,” Mr Abubakar said.

He added, “It took the Tinubu administration a staggering 10 months to arrive at a new minimum wage figure. By implication, the federal government owes 10 months of wage award arrears to federal workers. 

“Yet, only six months have been paid and that too after a series of unfulfilled assurances and avoidable delays. As of today, the federal government owes four months of wage awards, amounting to ₦35,000 monthly, a total of ₦140,000 per worker.”

Condemning the arrest of Mr Emelieze and demanding his release, Mr Abubakar said, “To make matters worse, instead of engaging in dialogue or fulfilling its promises, the government has now resorted to tyranny and suppression of free speech. Nearly two weeks ago, Comrade Andrew Uche Emelieze was arrested and detained for attempting to organise a peaceful protest to demand the payment of the overdue wage awards. His only ‘crime’ was speaking up for workers abandoned by the state.

He added, “We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Emelieze. His continued detention is an affront to democracy, a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker, and a chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration.”