ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The governors of the 36 states of the Federation under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum have rejected the proposal of N60,000 as the new minimum wage in Nigeria, describing it as unrealistic and unsustainable.
Sundiata Post recalls that the Federal Government had during their negotiations, offered the sum of N60,000 to the organised labour which they roundly rejected and proceeded on an indefinite strike.
Sundiata Post also recalls that the outgoing Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, had earlier offered N70,000 as the state’s minimum wage.
In a statement signed by its Acting Director on Media Affairs and Public Affairs, Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed, the NGF “holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and can not fly.”
The forum added that such amount as the new minimum wage “will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes,” adding that “few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.”
The called for caution in the negotiation, while urging the “labour unions 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.”
Below is the statement in full:
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is in agreement that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum also sympathises with labour unions in their push for higher wages.
However, the Forum urges all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners.
The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.
All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and can not fly. It will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes.
In fact, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
We appeal that all parties involved, especially the labour unions, 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.
