Pensioners in the South West have rejected the ₦70,000 minimum wage recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, citing the surge in fuel prices as a critical factor undermining its adequacy. The pensioners, under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Southwest Zone, issued a communiqué at the end of their zonal meeting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, urging labour unions to renew their push for a ₦250,000 minimum wage in light of prevailing economic challenges.
Dr. Olusegun Abatan, the NUP Southwest Publicity Secretary, delivered the communiqué, emphasizing that the ongoing discourse on local government autonomy must not interfere with pension payments for retired local government workers and primary school teachers, or the salaries of active local government employees and teachers.
Commenting on the newly implemented wage, Abatan criticized the negotiation process, stating, “Before the ₦70,000 was even implemented, the Federal Government further increased the price of petrol. We believe that the labour leaders—Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Usifo—were naïve and blindfolded in the negotiations. The Federal Government took advantage of their inexperience, tricking them into accepting the ₦70,000 minimum wage under the false promise of maintaining fuel prices. Yet, shortly after this agreement, fuel prices were hiked.”
Abatan added, “We in the Southwest reject this ₦70,000 minimum wage. We urge Labour to return to the negotiating table and press for the ₦250,000 initially proposed. Given current economic realities, ₦70,000 barely covers 60 litres of petrol. Labour must demand a wage that reflects the true cost of living.”
The pensioners expressed their full support for any action Labour takes, including strike actions, to secure a more realistic minimum wage.
In the same communiqué, the pensioners commended the governors in the South West for improving pension and gratuity payments in their respective states. However, Abatan noted that only Ondo State has implemented a 33% pension increase for its retirees. He urged the other Southwest states to follow suit and implement both the 33% pension increase and the consequential adjustments made in 2019 for public sector workers.
“If these 33% increases and adjustments are not implemented before the introduction of a new minimum pension or wage, pensioners nationwide will be unfairly treated,” Abatan warned. “We appeal to our governors to act swiftly and fairly.”
While the pensioners expressed support for local government autonomy, they stressed that any new financial arrangements must safeguard the pensions of retired primary school teachers and local government retirees. “The salaries of teachers and local government workers, as well as allowances for traditional rulers, should remain protected as first-line charges,” the communiqué concluded.
They also called on both federal and state governments to prevent potential crises arising from the full implementation of local government autonomy, ensuring that the era of zero allocations to councils does not return, particularly after the deduction of salaries and pensions.
