Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on both federal and state governments to utilize recovered looted funds to pay the new national minimum wage. Falana made this assertion during an interview with Channels TV on Thursday night.
Falana emphasized the necessity for Nigerian authorities to demonstrate the political will required to implement the new minimum wage. He argued that the resources needed are available, provided that the governments are committed to recovering and utilizing funds that have been looted or withheld from the federation account.
“The state governments that are claiming they lack the funds to pay the minimum wage actually have the money. Both the Federal Government and the states need to gather the political will to collect and recover money that has been looted or withheld,” Falana stated.
The push for a new minimum wage has been a contentious issue, with the Nigerian government and labor unions unable to reach a consensus. Labor unions initially demanded a new minimum wage of ₦494,000, which they later reduced to ₦250,000 during a recent meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the New Minimum Wage in Abuja. In response, the Federal Government increased its offer from ₦60,000 to ₦62,000.
The final decision on the proposed minimum wage is expected to be delayed until after July 2nd, as the National Assembly is currently on break. This delay prolongs the uncertainty for Nigerian workers who are awaiting a resolution.
