The governors of Nigeria’s 36 states have declared that the state governments cannot afford or sustain a minimum salary above N70,000.
The governors spoke during a meeting organized by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to talk about the state of the economy and the current minimum wage controversy.
They took into consideration offers that ranged from N60,000, which the Federal Government had given to Labor prior to the strike, to N70,000, which the Edo State Government was currently paying.
They tried, but were unable to agree upon a consistent amount. As a result, they established a committee, led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, to examine the choices and offer recommendations.
According to sources at the meeting, the governors are in agreement that a minimum wage of N100,000 is not feasible, and some states are still struggling to pay the current minimum wage of N30,000, which came into effect in 2019.
“Records available to us indicated that some states are still paying N18,000 because they are unable to afford N30,000 (which came into effect in 2019). Only a state has adopted a N70,000 wage,” the source said.
The governors’ position is in line with a previous statement made by the Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who stated that states will only agree to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable”.
Meanwhile, the Presidency on Thursday denied reports that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, submitted a proposal for a new minimum wage of N105,000 to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the reports as false, stating that the minister had not proposed any such amount.
