Minimum Wage: Resign if you can’t pay, Nigerians react to Governors

Minimum Wage: Resign if you can’t pay, Nigerians react to Governors

The 36 State Governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have stated that the Subnational Governments cannot afford a new minimum wage of N60,000.

This resolution was conveyed via a press release by the NGF’s acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Affairs, Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed.

According to her, the Forum believes the proposed N60,000 minimum wage is not sustainable.

 

They highlighted that any increase in the minimum wage would necessitate consequential adjustments across all employment levels, including pensions.

The NGF warned that agreeing to an unsustainable minimum wage would result in States using all their FAAC allocations solely for salaries, leaving no funds for development projects.

This announcement has ignited a flurry of reactions and backlash from Nigerians. On social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), users have voiced their displeasure.

One person alleged that N60,000 is not even up to the price of a bottle of their favourite wine.

Another said the governors don’t care about the citizens and only care about their pockets. Another commenter suggested, that the governors should all resign and handover to those who can pay higher

One user, @EfaevalE64192, wrote, “They should reduce all the 36 states governors’ salaries to 100k without allowance for 2 months so that they can also feel the heat too.”

Another user, @DUOguy, tweeted, “But they can use 90 billion to subsidise Hajj.”

@iampagoI commented, “I see another strike looming. This time around, an indefinite shutdown.”

@okerekepius07 questioned, “The wall between the rich and the poor is too high, how can a government give its workers a monthly salary of 60 thousand naira only, too poor regarding the high cost of living today in Nigeria?”

Further criticism came from @fcchilaka, who alleged, “A former governor was alleged to have embezzled more than 80 billion while in office. He was one of those who said 30k was too much as minimum wage. Bunch of heartless individuals.”

@WaripamoK asked, “Why are they saying it’s too high, they have done little or nothing about the constant inflation. What do want us to do working in an environment where your salary cannot sustain you till your next payday?”

@emrayiam boldly declared, “N60k is not sustainable in this current bad economy of Nigeria. Anything below N150k should not be accepted.”

@Bidal4Life noted, “Yet they increased Judicial council salary by 300%.”

The outrage continued with @smattkinzy tweeting, “It’s outrageous that the Governors’ Forum in Nigeria claims that a meagre 60k minimum wage is too burdensome for workers, yet they themselves embezzle billions of dollars daily! This hypocrisy is staggering. Meanwhile, the youth of Nigeria remain silent.”

@Ijoba_Poly15 tweeted, “Sometimes it’s not all about Tinubu, governors are also a major part of Nigeria’s problems.”

Finally, @RevkenPee wrote, “But hardship allowance is sustainable.”

The overwhelming sentiment among Nigerians is that the proposed N60,000 minimum wage is insufficient given the high cost of living, and there is widespread criticism of the governors for their perceived hypocrisy and lack of empathy.