NGF Insîsts States Can’t Päy N60,000 As Minimum Wäge

By Ayodele Oni

The Secretariat of the Nigeria Governors Forum, (NGF) has come out on the position of 36 state governors on the new minimum wage.

It stated that the governors rejected the N60,000 that was earlier proposed by the Federal Government as the new minimum wage.

The Governors, after their meeting on Thursday, had set up a committee headed by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to work out a realistic figure that can be sustained.

They had earlier resolved that since one of them, which is Edo, has commenced payment of N70,000 as minimum wage, others can maintain this.

The Director of Media and Public Affairs for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Halimah Salihu Ahmed, announced this in a statement on Friday.

The governors argued that the N60,000 wage, which the federal government had proposed and rejected by the organized labour, is unrealistic and unsustainable.

They claimed that implementing it would force some states to borrow funds to pay workers’ salaries.

The statement read, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) agrees that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum sympathizes with labour unions in their push for higher wages.

“However, the Forum urges all parties to consider that 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 cannot be implemented.

“Many states would spend all their FAAC allocations on salaries alone, with nothing left for development purposes.

“In fact, a few states would end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not believe 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 society who have legitimate claims to public resources.”