The 36 state governors of Nigeria have declared the proposed N60,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government as unsustainable and unrealistic.
This statement follows the indefinite strike action initiated by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) after rejecting the N60,000 offer.
Although the labor unions temporarily suspended the strike for a week to facilitate further negotiations, the governors have voiced their concerns regarding the feasibility of this wage increase.
According to Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed, Director of Media and Public Affairs for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the governors emphasized that the implementation of a N60,000 minimum wage would be impractical for many states.
They argued that such an increase would compel some states to resort to borrowing to meet the wage demands, thereby exacerbating their financial challenges.
The statement reads, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is in agreement that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum also sympathises with labour unions in their push for higher wages.
“However, the Forum urges all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners.
“The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.
“All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and can not fly. It will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes.
“In fact, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
“We appeal that all parties involved, especially the labour unions, consider all the socioeconomic variables and settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have legitimate claim to public resources.”