The Nigerian Governors’ Forum says it will re-strategize and dialogue with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issues associated with the proposed N30, 000 minimum wage.
To drive the process, the forum has constituted a committee to meet the president to work out a formula to quickly resolve the issues.
Chairman of the forum and Governor of Zamfara, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, told newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the governors on Wednesday in Abuja that payment of N30, 000 wage was impracticable.
Yari, however, said the proposed wage would be paid if labour would agree to downsizing of the workforce across the country “or Federal Government itself accedes to the review of the national revenue allocation formula”.
He listed members of the committee to interface with the Presidency as governors of Lagos, Kebbi, Plateau, Bauchi, Akwa |bom, Ebonyi, Enugu and Kaduna.
Yari alleged that the Tripartite Committee on the minimum wage did not include governors submission of N22, 500 in its proposal to Buhari “because it said that the governors’ decision came late”.
“Situation where our report was not taken or considered by the tripartite committee in the presentation to the president, then, I don’t know how the committee wants us to work.
“We still said that we want to pay but the issue is the ability to pay. If we say no, just pay, I don’t know how this formula will work and I don’t know how we can get solution to the issue.
“Today it is N18, 000. In 2015 when the president assumed office, 27 states were not able to pay, not that they chose not to pay.
“Now you say N30, 000, how many of us can pay? We will be bankrupt.
He added that it was the same labour leadership pushing for N30, 000 that would turn around to say that governors did not build any infrastructure “and how are we going to achieve that by paying only salaries.”
Title : N30k minimum wage: Expect sacking of workers - Governors
Description : The Nigerian Governors’ Forum says it will re-strategize and dialogue with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issues associated with the prop...
