Governors Reject ₦60,000 Minimum Wage

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The discordant tune over minimum wage is not about to end yet. And there are fears that organised labour may return to the trenches one week after it “relaxed” the nationwide strike over the issue. This will not be because labour was intransigent and insisting on the ₦494,000 that people, including the government, considered outrageous nor is it because the federal government was unbending on its earlier proposal for a ₦60,000:00 minimum wage. Rather it is because the state governors are kicking against the figure that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC had said was too low for consideration. The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF said on Friday that all 36 state governors have decided to reject the proposed ₦60,000:00 because it would be impossible to implement.
This was contained in the statement signed by Hajiya Halima Saliu Ahmed, director of media and public affairs of the NGF. While the governors endorsed the exercise towards getting a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, they cautioned that whatever figure agreed to should be realistic and sustainable.
They expressed concern that if the ₦60,000:00 was adopted, most state governments would have to spend all the revenue they get from the federation account on salaries. Not only that, the NGF said there are some states that may even have to borrow to keep faith with payment of workers’ salaries.
They, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders, particularly organised labour, to ” Consider all the socioeconomic variables and settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have legitimate claim to public resources.”