- Governor Samuel Ortom said he would not be able to pay the proposed minimum wage
- The Benue governor said the state does not have the capacity to do so
- The NLC has promised to go on a strike of the minimum wage is not implemented
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue said if he had the capacity, he would pay the state workers above N30,000 as minimum wage.
Ortom stated this on Tuesday, January 8, in Makurdi while addressing members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the union embarked on a peaceful protest to express their grievances over the delay in the implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000.
The governor, who sympathised with the workers, said the state cannot afford to pay the new wage. He, however, stated that the present N18,000 minimum wage was no longer enough due to the economic situation.
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“If I have the capacity, I will not hesitate to implement the new minimum wage even above N30,000,” he said.
He disclosed that governors had appealed to the federal government to review the revenue sharing formula to enable them pay the proposed national minimum wage.
”I have prioritised payment of workers’ salaries and this is exactly what my administration is doing,” he said.
Also speaking, the NLC state chairman, Godwin Anya, called on the governor to consider the workers’ plight and stand on their side by accepting to pay the proposed minimum wage.
The national president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, who was represented by Success Leke, national auditor of the union, advised Mr Ortom to prevail on his colleagues to implement the new minimum wage.
Recall that the NLC in Cross River state has vowed to boycott the 2019 general elections if the federal and state governments fail to implement the N30,000 minimum wage.
The declaration was made on Tuesday, January 8, by the chairman of the state chapter of NLC, John Ushie, Punch reports.
Legit.ng gathers that Uchie, who made the declaration during a peaceful protest in Calabar to press home the workers’ demand for the implementation of the minimum wage, said labour would continue the struggle until the latter is victorious.
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According to the NLC chairman in Cross River, the current minimum wage of N18,000 had become obsolete since 2015.
He said: “Labour will continue the struggle until we get victory. Victory does not come easy, it will require all our energy, and it will require us to put all. The minimum wage is long overdue since 2015. Workers have run out of patience, so we are here to take our destinies in our hands.
“We are here to protest because it is a national directive; we will do so until we get a commitment from government concerning the N30,000 minimum wage and when it will be enacted into law.
“Secondly, we are here to send a message to President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately transmit the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly for passage, so that the money can get to Nigerian workers without further delay.
“If the federal government and governors say no to minimum wage, we also say there is no vote for them; no election."
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Minimum Wage: Is N30,000 Too Much for FG to Pay Workers? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
