The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has fired a warning shot at governors who are unable to meet the new N70,000 minimum wage, urging them to step down from office.
This comes after Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, stated that his administration cannot afford to pay the newly established national minimum wage. Reacting to Governor Yahaya’s statement, Benson Upah, NLC’s Head of Public Relations, said, “He should quit if he cannot pay. He took an oath of office to uphold the law and not to break it.”
The NLC’s stance follows President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the new Minimum Wage Act into law, setting the minimum wage at N70,000. The decision was reached after negotiations between the President and organized labour unions, who had initially demanded over N250,000/month minimum wage.
The Federal Government has assured that all relevant stakeholders were involved in the negotiations and consensus-building efforts, allaying fears regarding compliance with the new minimum wage. However, the NLC’s call for governors to resign if they cannot pay the new minimum wage has raised the stakes in the ongoing debate over the affordability of the new wage.
