Abdulaziz Yari, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, said yesterday that governors were not against upward review of the minimum wage, but lack capacity to pay it. This is as indications emerged yesterday that organized labour might resume its suspended strike over the issue as early as November 6.
Briefing journalists on the outcome of the forum’s meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Wednesday night, Yari said the issue was not just on the agreed figure to be paid by the governors but also the “ability or resources to take care of that agreed minimum wage.”
Noting that his colleagues made it known that they have no problem with review of salaries but were being real, Yari, who is governor of Zamfara State, said: “The problem of the states is the capacity to pay what is agreed. As we are talking today, we are struggling with N18,000. “Some of the states are paying 35 per cent, some 50 per cent and still some states have salary arrears. So, it is not about only reviewing it but how we are going to get the resources to cater for it.” Yari’s statement caused a stir in the polity, yesterday.
There was anxiety that labour leaders who met over the issue last night may call for industrial action. Some state chapters of the NLC, vowed to shut down the country if the minimum wage was not reviewed and implemented. The NLC had demanded N30,000 as minimum wage, the governors proposed N20,000, while the Federal Government said it could afford N24,000.
Yari said Ayuba Wabba, National President of NLC, was invited to brief the forum on states’ performance in the use of London and Paris Club refunds which the Federal Government disbursed for payment of salaries. He added that some states had recorded some progress in line with the condition they signed with the Federal Government but noted that some are still owing arrears. “So, we invited the national president of NLC to give us details on how some states performed, some other states that are not up to date; where are they? “They have signed Memorandum of Understanding with the NLC at the national level and their representative in states on when they are going to overcome the issue of salary arrears. That has been done and it has been taken to the Central Bank Governor to ensure that those states were also paid.”
Yari, who also disclosed that an update was received from the NGF Secretariat on Polio and Primary Healthcare Under One Roof, said governors expressed commitment to facilitate the development of a minimum package and investment plan for State Primary Healthcare Boards. He added that observations were raised about the issue of PHC, including concern that the function of the local governments was being taken away. “It was made clear by some governors that the PHC has nothing to do with the national, that it is just a domestic issue of local governments. “Those issues were raised, debated and we are going to put a memo in place to the National Economic Council, NEC, so that it can be discussed.”
