Why we are afraid of increment in workers’ salary – Nigerian governors

The Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, has explained why it’s afraid of the upward review of the minimum wage.

NAN reports that the Chairman of the Forum, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, gave the explanation while briefing journalists on the outcome of the forum’s meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.

DAILY POST recalls that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, on Wednesday, restated federal government’s stance on the new minimum wage.

Yari said that the issue was not just on agreed figure to be paid by the governors, but the “ability or resources to take care of that agreed minimum wage.”

He said that the forum had made it clear that the governors were not against any upward review of salaries or against the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to get minimum wage reviewed.

“But, the problem of state is the capacity to pay what is agreed. As we are talking today we are struggling with N18,000. Some of the states are paying 35 per cent, some 50 per cent and still some states have salary arrears,” Yari said.

“So, it is not about only reviewing it but how we are going to get the resources to cater for it.”

Yari added that the National President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, was invited to brief the forum on states performance in the use of London and Paris Club refunds.

“So, we invited the National President of NLC to give us details on how some states performed. Some other states that are not up to date, where are they,” he said.

“So they have signed Memorandum of Understanding with the NLC at the national level and their representative in states on when they are going to overcome the issue of salary.”