Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says the new minimum wage bill sponsored by Garba Datti, representing Sabon Gari Federal Constituency in Kaduna, was a concrete step towards devolution of power in the country.

El-Rufai in a statement on Wednesday said decentralisation of the judiciary, police and labour matters are among the items recommended by the APC True Federalism Committee which he chaired.

He said this entailed moving the constitutional provisions of the matters wholly or partly from the exclusive list to the concurrent list, so that powers and responsibility over them can be devolved.

Minimum wage part of ILO Convention

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had said it is aware of the forces behind the bill seeking to transfer minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list.

The President, Ayuba Wabba, spoke at a meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives on Tuesday in Abuja as the bill passed second reading on February 23.

He stated that the bill, if passed into law, would return Nigeria to slavery, arguing that the minimum wage was part of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention.

Wabba insisted Nigeria must respect the convention being an ILO member state.

FRCN Abuja