There could be another round of political showdown between the Organized Labour and the Nigerian Governors following report of ruling out the N100,000 proposed minimum wage by some stakeholders.
According to media reports, the governors during a meeting held on Thursday in Abuja assessed the current economic condition and concluded that exceeding the N70,000 threshold would be neither feasible nor sustainable for them.
During the meeting, the governors, convening under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), considered wage options ranging from N60,000—which the Federal Government had previously proposed to labour unions—to N70,000, a figure already adopted by the Edo State Government.
Meanwhile, consensus on a uniform wage was not reached. To address this, a committee headed by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was established.
Governor Uzodimma also chairs the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), which represents governors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Though, this decision is in line with earlier statements from NGF Chairman and Kwara State governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who stressed that states would only commit to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable.”
A source present in the meeting said, “After extensive discussions, we opted to explore wage options between N60,000 and N70,000 per month. We couldn’t settle on a specific rate for all states. Consequently, Governor Uzodimma’s committee will review all proposals and provide recommendations. The NGF will reconvene soon to discuss the committee’s report.”
Speaking further, the source clarified that a N100,000 minimum wage is off the table, as many states are still struggling to meet the current N30,000 minimum wage, which was implemented in 2019.
“Some states are even stuck at the N18,000 level, unable to afford the current minimum wage. Only one state has moved to a N70,000 wage so far,” the source noted.
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