Group advocates minimum wage for private security personnel

Members of the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) have proposed a minimum wage of nothing less than N40, 000 for anyone offering guard services across the country.

Mr Chris Adigwu, the National President of the Association, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.

Adigwu said his administration would ensure that the proposed minimum wage is accepted and implemented in all states of the federation.

He said that a new minimum wage has become necessary because of the increasing cost of living in the country, adding security personnel perform better when then are well paid.

“The salary paid by some of our members to their staff has been a burning issue for us.

“This is because there should be a minimum salary payment for staff of private guard companies in Nigeria.

“We know that if our guards are well paid, they will also do their work well.

“That is why we are proposing a minimum wage of nothing less than N40, 000 for anyone offering guard services across the country,” he said.

He said the association has no fewer than 1,650 registered private security companies in Nigeria, which have engaged over four million Nigerians.

“This makes the association one of the biggest employers of labour and the biggest employers of youths in the country,” he said.

The national president of the association said its members are present in the 774 local governments and virtually in every home in this country.

He said they were the best in terms of intelligence gathering, which he said could be used to support the state security actors.

He identified compliances and multiple taxation as their greatest challenges, calling for a review of the tax method for private security guard companies.

“We also have the challenge of foreign contractors and other people, such as the vigilantes encroaching into our business.

“Our members are well profiled before they are licensed and we pay for our renewal fees and are regulated by the government.

“So, the government should empower us to do our work rather than allowing other groups to encroach into our business” he said.