Minimum Wage: Governors Open Up on What Is “Affordable and Sustainable”
- Nigerian governors have ruled out the option of N100,000 as minimum wage to Nigerian workers following recent strike by the organised labour
- At the meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum on Thursday, June 6, the governors reportedly considered the option of N60,000 to N70,000
- However, the governors did not conclude on what should be paid as a minimum wage but set up a committee headed by the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma
TheTalk.NG journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.
FCT, Abuja – State governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have reportedly ruled out the option of paying N100,000 and above as the new minimum wage.
At their meeting on Thursday, June 6, the governors were said to have considered a minimum wage between N60,000 and N70,000.
Nigerian governors speak on what they can pay as minimum wage
Photo Credit: @officialABAT, @NGFSecretariatSource: Twitter
Minimum wage: How much will governors pay?
According to The Nation, state leaders reviewed the country’s economic situation and concluded that anything above N70,000 would not be sustainable and affordable.
The governors then ruled out the option of paying N100,000 as many people have suggested.
Sources familiar with the issue said the governors could not reach a conclusion on what should be paid between the N60,000 earlier proposed by the federal government and the N70,000 currently being paid by the Edo state government.
Imo governor leads committee on minimum wage
It was gathered that at the meeting, the governors set up a committee, headed by Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, to review the minimum wage.
Uzodinma is also currently the chairman of the progressives governors forum, which is a platform for governors elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governors’ stance echoed the previous statement from the NGF and the governor of Kwara state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, that they would only agree to an ‘affordable and sustainable’ minimum wage.
The meeting of the governors comes after a recent industrial action by organised labour, which started on Monday, June 3 but was suspended temporarily afterwards to allow for further deliberation.
Minimum wage: Finance minister reportedly proposed N105k
TheTalk.NG earlier reported that multiple reports claimed that finance minister Wale Edun proposed a new minimum wage of N105,000 per month to President Bola Tinubu.
The alleged proposal was part of a presentation on the cost implications of the new wage, which Edun and budget minister Atiku Bagudu discussed with Tinubu.
However, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga denied the report, stating that the finance minister did not make such a proposal.
Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at TheTalk.NG.
Source: TheTalk.NG
