President MUHAMMADU BUHARI is now in New York where he will be attending the 74th United Nations General Assembly.

The president, who departed the country yesterday, will be the 5th on the list of presidents to address the assembly.

According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs GEOFFERY ONYEAMA, President BUHARI will use the opportunity to articulate the priorities of the Nigerian government to the world.

The 74th General Assembly is holding at a time Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE, is seating as president.

The Organised Labourhas said that only the personal intervention of President BUHARI can stop the planned nationwide strike over consequential adjustments arising from the N30,000 new minimum wage.

The warning came on a day Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. CHRIS NGIGE, told newsmen in Enugu that the Federal Government has commenced partial implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage to its workers on salary levels one to six.

Secretary to the Trade Union Side of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, ALADE BASHIR LAWAL, who stated this in an interview said organs of various public sector unions were already reaching out to other sections of the Labour movement and civil society allies for support.

The organised labour, under the auspices of the Trade Union Side, TUS, of the council negotiating over the implementation of the new minimum wage, has accused the federal government of deliberately frustrating the agreement signed into law by President MUHAMMADU BUHARI in April this year.

The council made the call following the failure of its negotiating team; the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), to reach an agreement with the government over non-implementation of the agreement.

TUS Acting Chairman, ANCHAVER SIMON, and its Secretary, ALADE LAWAL, said in a statement that efforts by the unions to persuade the government to implement the new minimum wage with appropriate consequential adjustment had proved abortive.

The JNPSNC had said after its meeting with government that implementing the new minimum wage with adequate consequential adjustments remains the only way to avoid industrial crisis in the country.