By Olawale Lamina
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, led by the Kwara state chief executive, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has stated that state governors are proposing a new national minimum wage of N100,000 as part of measures lessen the effects of economic hardship on the civil servants.
AbdulRazaq said the governors were actively engaging with the Federal Government and organised labour unions present a fair wage structure for workers and, at the same time, reasonable for government expenditure.
The disclosure was made in a post by the Kwara state government on Facebook Saturday evening. The NGF chairman noted that the proposal became necessary in view of the by the rising cost of living, perennial inflation, and the increasing financial pressure on workers nationwide.
He revealed that state governors were already in consultation with the Federal Government and organised labour unions, in order to agree on a wage structure that would benefit workers while at the same time sustainable for governments at all levels.
Governor AbdulRazaq said: “State governments recognise the urgent need to improve workers’ welfare in response to the current economic realities facing Nigerians,”
According to him, ongoing meetings over the matter will ensure that whatever new wage regime agreed on would not place excessive financial burden on the sub-national government.
“We are actively engaging with the Federal Government and organised labour to arrive at a wage structure that is fair to workers and sustainable for government finances,” he stated.
He added that that discussions around the upward wage review were targeted at having a healthy balance towards enhancing workers’ purchasing power and preserving the ability of governments to deliver critical public services and infrastructure projects.
He also assured that the goal is to improve the living conditions of workers while ensuring that the state government can continue to deliver and sustain development projects that directly impact citizens.
He agreed that while workers deserved better remuneration based on prevailing economic indicators, policymakers must also consider the fiscal realities facing the state governments.
Before now, Nigerian workers have always vent their concerns that current earnings are no longer sufficient to meet basic household needs in the face of inflation.
Currently, the nation’s statutory minimum wage stands at ₦70,000 per month and despite the fact that some states including Lagos, Rivers and Imo, pay their workers above the national benchmark as part of efforts to support workers, majority of Nigerians see reasons to ask for more.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on its part, has renewed its call for a comprehensive review of workers’ salaries, stressing that the workers deserve a living wage in the face of the current economic challenges beyond mere survival.
About The Author
