Minimum Wage: N60,000 Not Realistic -Nig. Govs Forum

Governors of the 36 States of Nigeria have rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Ahmed, the governors, under the banner of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) said the proposed minimum wage is too high and not sustainable.

NGF expressed concerns that if the N60,000 minimum wage is adopted, many states would allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects.

The statement read in part, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum 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.

The NGF urged all parties involved in the negotiation process, particularly the labour unions, to take into cognizance all socioeconomic factors and reach a sustainable agreement.

The organised labour had vowed to reject any minimal increase to the N60,000 offer proposed by the tripartite committee on the new minimum wage.

Meanwhile, the Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki had announced on Wednesday that his administration will commence the payment of N70,000 to workers in Edo state.