The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) asserted on Saturday that state governors have sufficient resources to pay the new national minimum wage. The NLC emphasized that the allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to states are adequate to meet the new wage requirements.
This statement was made by Benson Upah, Head of NLC Public Affairs, in response to state governors’ claims that they are unable to pay the proposed N60,000 minimum wage suggested by the Federal Government.
A statement issued on Friday by Halimah Ahmed, Director of Media and Public Affairs for the Nigeria Governors Forum, described the proposed minimum wage as too high and unsustainable.
However, Upah accused the state governors of acting in bad faith. He said, “We believe the governors have acted in bad faith. Issuing such a statement to the public during ongoing negotiations is certainly in poor taste.
Regarding the governors’ claims, he stated, “Their assertion is far from the truth. FAAC allocations have increased from N700 billion to N1.2 trillion, making the state governments extremely wealthy at the expense of the people.
“To afford a reasonable national minimum wage (not even the proposed N60,000), the governors need to reduce the high cost of governance, minimize corruption, and prioritize the welfare of workers.”
