The Director General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale Oyerinde, has declared that all the 36 states of the federation have no justification for not paying the new N70, 000 minimum wage.
Oyerinde stated this when he appeared on Arise TV’s programme, ‘The Morning Show’ on Tuesday.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage bill into law last year, raising Nigerian workers’ wages from N30,000 to N70,000.
After President Bola Tinubu assented to the bill, many state governments pledged to implement it, while others raised concerns about their financial capacity.
Oyerinde maintained that state governments have received enough support from the Federal Government to be able to implement the N70,000 minimum wage signed into law in July 2024.
He also dismissed the claim that some states may not have funds to pay N70,000, stressing that the minimum wage has come to stay.
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He said: “We have moved away from the context of hope, the reality now is what we should face.
“The reality for all stakeholders whether at the federal, state or local government is that N70,000 has come to stay and everybody should align with the law except those that are exempted.
“The issue of having funds to pay the N70,000 also does not arise because it is no longer hidden that the Federal Government has been consistently supporting the state governments.
“The allocations to state governments have increased proportionately. So, with a little fiscal discipline, no state should complain that they can’t pay N70,000 as approved by the president.”
The NECA DG added that if state governors refuse to pay the new minimum wage, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would have to change their strategy for engagement to get them to pay.
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