The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has announced that governors are proposing a new national minimum salary of N100,000.
AbdulRazaq stated this in a post on Facebook today, saying the plan was propelled by inflation, growing cost of living and mounting financial pressure on Nigerian workers.
“State governments are meeting with the federal government and Organised Labour to arrive at a wage structure that balances the welfare of workers and fiscal sustainability, Saturday PUNCH reports.
“State governments acknowledge the need to improve the welfare of workers in view of the current economic realities facing Nigerians,” AbdulRazaq remarked.
The NGF chairman said negotiations were underway to ensure that any new pay regime would not throw undue financial burden on states.
“We are currently engaged in active discussions with the federal government and organised labour with a view to arriving at a wage structure that is fair to the workers and sustainable for government finances,” he said.
He said the talks were about finding a balance between increasing workers’ purchasing power and keeping governments able to provide essential public services and infrastructure projects.
“The goal is to improve the conditions of workers’ lives, while enabling states to continue to meet their obligations and maintain development projects that directly affect citizens,” he said.
He said workers deserved better pay but policymakers also had to recognize the fiscal realities of subnational governments.
The N100,000 minimum salary suggested by the government is expected to further ignite national conversations about pay, inflation and more economic reforms as Nigerians battle with rising food prices, transportation costs and other living expenses.
The country’s difficult economic situation has caused many workers to raise worries on several occasions that their current incomes are no longer enough to support the fundamental demands of their households.
Nigeria’s statutory minimum salary is currently N70,000 per month.
But certain states, notably Lagos, Rivers and Imo, are said to be paying beyond the national average in an effort to help workers.
On the other hand, the Nigeria Labour Congress has continued to canvass for a total review of workers’ salaries, claiming that workers need a livable wage that meets the economic demands of the day, not one that provides basic survival.
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