Anita Ogona
While the new national minimum wage debate is ongoing, reports emerged last night that the Governors are not considering a minimum wage that is higher than N70,000.
A report by TheNation says that at a meeting yesterday in Abuja, the state helmsmen reviewed the economic situation and concluded that anything above N70,000 will not be affordable and sustainable.
They ruled out the N100,000 option being dangled by some people.
Sources at the meeting said the governors, who met under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), considered options between N60,000 offered to Labour by the Federal Government before the strike, and N70,000, which is what the Edo State Government has started paying.
Having failed to reach a consensus on a uniform amount, a committee headed by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was set up.
Uzodimma is the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) – governors elected on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yesterday’s position of the governors is in line with a previous statement by Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that states will only agree to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable”.
A source at the meeting said: “After deliberation on the minimum wage, we decided to consider options between N60,000 and N70,000 a month. We could not reach a concrete decision on the wage rate for states.
“Eventually, a committee, to be led by Governor Uzodimma, was mandated to look at all presentations and make recommendations.
“The NGF will soon reconvene to consider the Uzodimma Committee report.”
The source added: “No state can afford to pay a N100,000 minimum wage and we have ruled out this benchmark.
“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.”
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