NECA Blasts State Governors For Non-Payment Of N70,000 Minimum Wage

The Director-General of the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adwale Oyerinde has said that state governments are inexcusable for their delay in the implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage.

The NECA DG said this on Tuesday while speaking on the delayed implementation of N70,000 national minimum wage by state governments.

Oyerinde said the private sector is doing a lot in terms of compliance with the wage benchmark, adding that some of the private employers pay above minimum wage.

After series of meetings between the federal government and the leadership of the organised labour, the parties agreed on N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers in July 2024.

The president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu transmitted the National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly and was passed on July 23, 2024.

Oyerinde said NECA had raised the alarm that the implementation of the new minimum wage would be another hurdle that the labour unions would battle.

As of November 9, 2024, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Zamfara, Sokoto, Osun, Cross River, Imo, Plateau and Taraba had not yet approved the new minimum wage.

The DG said, “The reality for us is that N70,000 has come to stay and everybody should align with the law except that person those that are exempted.

“The issue of having funds to pay the N70,000 also doesn’t arise because it is no more hidden that the federal government is consistently supporting the state governments. The allocation to state governments has proportionally increased.

“With a little fiscal discipline, no state should complain that they cannot pay the N70,000 as approved by the president. We hope sincerely that the states will live up to expectations and the N70,000 minimum wage.

“If they refuse to pay because capacity is not an issue now, the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress probably will have to change their strategy for engagement so that they can get all states to pay.”

The NECA DG highlighted the need for state governors to honour the agreement with organized labour.

“We want to believe that it has been factored in to their 2025 budget. Most of those that said it was not in their 2024 budget are presenting or have presented their budgets already to their house of assembly. So, we believe it is in their 2025 budget and we hope earnestly that everybody will abide by the N70,000,” he said.

NECA Blasts State Governors For Non-Payment Of N70,000 Minimum Wage is first published on The Whistler Newspaper