UPDATED: Governors speak on payment of new minimum wage

Emmanuel AmudaOctober 28, 2019

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The chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, on Monday said that the consequential increments in the implementation of the N30,000 Minimum Wage Law would depend on the capacity of each state government.

Fayemi stated this while briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum held in Abuja.

Fayemi, reading the meeting’s communique said that the forum made the resolution when it met and reviewed current progress in the implementation of the minimum wage law.

Clarifying on the forum’s position and Federal Economic Council (FEC)’s decision, Fayemi said that while state governors agreed to the N30, 000, FEC did not determine what happens in the states.

He said that each state had its State Executive Council, which is the highest decision making body at the state level.

“The forum as the representative body of the states keenly followed what happened in the negotiations that led to that template.

“As far as we are concerned, the best the forum can do is to stick with what has been agreed with the states. States are part of the tripartite negotiations.

“States agreed to that N30,000 minimum wage increase.

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“States also know that there will be consequential adjustment but that will be determined by what happened on the state-by-state basic.

“Because there are different number of workers and different issues at the state level.

“Every state has its own trade union joint negotiating committee and they will undertake this discussion with their state governments.

“The day after this agreement was reached with labour, it was on record that I was on a national television and made the position of the governors clear.

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“That for us this was a national minimum wage increase, not a general minimum wage review.

“Yes, that may necessitate consequential increment, we have no doubt about that but that is a matter for the states to discuss with their workers,’’ NAN quoted him as saying.