Pay Minimum Wage Approved by FG or Resign, Labour Tells Governors

On Saturday, Organised Labour confronted state governors, accusing them of undermining the ongoing minimum wage negotiations.

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) recently rejected the proposed ₦60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, calling it unsustainable. In a statement by the NGF’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Halimah Ahmed, the governors argued that adopting the ₦60,000 minimum wage would compel many states to allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects.

Responding on Saturday, Organised Labour criticized the NGF’s stance, insisting that all elements of the new minimum wage agreement must be implemented. Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim, stated, “There is no minimum wage. Every segment of it should be implemented. For the governors, we have said it very clearly. If you cannot pay minimum wage, please resign because you were voted for governance, not for only infrastructure.”

Etim emphasized that focusing solely on infrastructure without considering the welfare of the people is counterproductive. He noted that governors made no mention of these challenges during their campaigns and criticized them for prioritizing electioneering over sustainable development.

He further described the NGF’s statement as a trigger for industrial unrest, citing past instances where governors deemed ₦30,000 too high while simultaneously managing large budgets. “We cannot jump processes. We will also look at it together. Labour will be meeting. We are giving Mr President the benefit of the doubt to work the talk. The end will justify the means,” Etim said.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) also reacted, with its Head of Public Affairs, Benson Upah, expressing disbelief at the governors’ claims. Upah argued that the increase in FAAC allocations from ₦700bn to ₦1.2tn should enable governors to pay a reasonable national minimum wage. He suggested that reducing the high cost of governance, minimizing corruption, and prioritizing workers’ welfare would resolve the issue.