A chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP), Amb. Olufemi Ajadi, has tackled the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) over rejection of Federal Government proposed N60,000 minimum wage.
He said the Governors should henceforth be paid based on their qualifications as contained in Civil Service Salary Scale.
A statement by Ajadi described rejection of the proposed N60,000 minimum wage by Governors as insensitive and wickedness.
According him, the Governor were too hasty in their rejection of N60,000 minimum wage because the Labour Unions have not even agreed to the proposal.
The 36 Governors who make up the NGF has said that the ₦60,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government is not sustainable and cannot fly.
A statement by the Acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Relations of the Forum, Halima Ahmed, noted that if allowed to fly, many States will use all their monthly allocations from the federation account to pay workers’ salaries.
The Governors appealed to members of the tripartite committee to agree on a minimum wage that would be fair and sustainable.
However, Ajadi said he was shocked at the reaction of the Governors to the N60,000 proposal.
He contended that one of their members, Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki, on his own volition has started paying N70,000 monthly minimum wage in his State, wondering why other 35 Governors are so self – centred and insensitive to the workers.
He said: “I am totally shocked that the Governors could come out to say that they cannot pay the proposed N60,000 minimum Wage. That pronouncement by the governors showed that they are insensitive to the plight workers and the masses . I see it as a wicked pronouncement.
“In the first instance, they were too hasty in their reactions, as the Labour Unions have not even agreed to the proposal.
“If the Governors are serving the people as they usually claim, they should cut their own salaries to N60,000 too.
“I will also suggest that the governors should be paid according to their qualifications. They should realise that the workers attend the same Market their wives and children attended.
“Since the removal of subsidy, the Federal Government has jacked up the monthly allocation to the states. What are the governors doing with the money. Part of the money should be used to pay the new minimum wage when agreed by the tripartite committee.
“President Bola Tinubu has severally warned the Governors to make use of the increase in the monthly allocations to better the lots of their citizens. So one is shocked that the governors have the effrontery to reject a merely N60,000 proposal.
“The question we need to even ask is, what can N60,000 buy in the present state of economy. It can’t feed a worker for two weeks, talk less of their dependants.
“When finally there is an agreement on the new minimum wage, I urge the governors to be sincere and ensure the prompt payment in their States”.
