The Oyo state governor-elect, Seyi Makinde, has said the state cannot pay the new national minimum wage of N30,000 just signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Makinde made this clear on Wednesday, May 1. He further said the Federal Government should have given states the freedom to negotiate the new minimum wage for their workers as the condition of living varies from state to state.
Makinde who spoke to reporters in Abuja after attending the induction programme for returning and newly elected governors disclosed that he intends to negotiate with the Oyo state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) because the state could not afford to pay the amount.
He expressly claimed that the Federal Government lacks the power to impose a national minimum wage of states since Nigeria is a federation.
Meanwhile, as Nigerian workers celebrate workers’ day on Wednesday, May 1, immediate payment of the new minimum wage has been demanded by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, and the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bobboi Bala Kaigama.