We cannot afford to pay N60,000 minimum wage, Nigerian Governors tell Labour Unions

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says though a new minimum wage is due, the proposed N60,000 is not sustainable.

NGF’s Acting Director on Media and Public Affairs, Hajiya Halima Ahmed, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, sympathised with the labour unions in their push for higher wages.

Ahmed, however, urged all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involved 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 cannot fly.

“It will simply mean that many states will spend all their Federal Account Allocation Committee (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,’’ she said.

Ahmed, on behalf of the governors appealed to all parties involved, especially the labour unions, to consider all the socio-economic variables.

She urged the stakeholders to settle for an agreement that was sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society, who had legitimate claim to public resources.