Minimum wage dispute: PDP chief back calls for uniform payment, tasks state govs, Tinubu

• PDP chieftain, Dare Glintstone Akinniyi, has called for a centralised minimum wage as state governors disclosed they cannot pay workers N62,000
• Amid talks between labour and the federal government for a new national minimum wage, Akinniyi hailed the Edo state governor for offering to pay N70,000 minimum wage
• Speaking exclusively to Legit.ng, Akinniyi clarified the disparities in economic capacities but urged Bola Tinubu's government to implement uniform wages across states

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Dare Glintstone Akinniyi, Spokesperson, The PDP National Youth Group, has urged the state governors in Nigeria to pay whatever amount the federal government is offering as minimum wage.

President Tinubu and labour leaders. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,Nigeria Labour Congress HQ
Source: Facebook

Recall that Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) berated state governors under the umbrella body of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for rejecting the N62,000 minimum wage proposal of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu administration.

On Tuesday, June 11, Ajaero questioned Nigerian governors calling for the decentralisation of the minimum wage, urging them to emulate Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state who is paying civil servants a minimum wage of N70,000.

PDP chief urge govs to pay approved national wage

In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng on Saturday, June 15, Dare Glintstone Akinniyi, clarified that all states are not equal in revenue, overheads and debts, however, governors should pay whatever figure is approved by the federal government as new national minimum wage.

Speaking further, Akinniyi commended Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state for implementing N70,000 minimum wage in his state, adding, some governors are still struggling to pay the old minimum wage.

The PDP chieftain said:

"Going by the reports from the Debt Management Office (DMO) recently, the total external debt stock of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reached $4.61 billion by December 31, 2023, from $4.46 billion recorded in the previous year."For sure, all states are not equal in revenue, overheads and debts and we shouldn't expect the same output in terms of infrastructures and dividend of democracy— however, they must pay whatever is approved by the Federal Government as minimum wage, it is their duty. Some States are paying less than the current minimum wage and we have Edo State paying over 200% of the minimum wage - #70,000. It shows that the Edo State Governor is seriously interested in the welfare of the Workers."

List: 20 governors who have refused to pay wage award

Since the federal government began paying the N35,000 wage award in addition to the N30,000 minimum wage to Nigerian workers and President Bola Tinubu's plea to governors to replicate the gesture, 15 states have not complied, while seven have stopped.

The wage award was intended to reduce the economic hardship on workers until the new minimum wage was implemented, 15 states are said to pay their workers between N10,000 and N40,000 as salary increments or wage awards.

The states not paying the wage awards included one in the Southeast, four in the South-South, five in the Northwest, three in the Northeast, and two in the North Central.

Source: Legit.ng