Governors under the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) have rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for workers, citing sustainability concerns.
In a statement issued on Friday by NGF’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Halimah Ahmed, the governors argued that the proposed wage is excessively high and impractical.
The NGF emphasized that if the N60,000 minimum wage is implemented, many states would have to allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects.
“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum agrees that a new minimum wage is due and sympathizes with labour unions’ push for higher wages,” the statement read.
“However, the Forum urges consideration of the consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners. Any agreement must be sustainable and realistic.”
The NGF stressed that the proposed wage would force many states to spend all their FAAC allocations on salaries, with some needing to borrow to meet payroll obligations.
This, they warned, is not in the collective interest of the country, including the workers themselves.
The NGF called on all parties involved in the negotiation, especially labour unions, to consider all socioeconomic factors and reach a sustainable agreement.
Meanwhile, organized labour groups, including the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have vowed to reject any minimal increase below N60,000.
The unions had suspended their strike after the Federal Government assured them that President Bola Tinubu is committed to a minimum wage higher than the initial offer.
This development comes less than 24 hours after the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, presented the cost implications of a new minimum wage to the President, prompting the governors to agree that a new minimum wage is indeed due.