The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says the stance of some Nigerian governors to unilaterally determine the minimum wage they can afford to pay civil servants in their states threatens the welfare of workers. 

In a press release on Friday, the NLC head of information and public affairs, Benson Upah, condemned the governors’ demand as dictatorial intentions meant to undermine the established model for creating the national minimum wage and threaten the welfare of workers and the national economy.

He stated that the pursuit by some governors to pay “whatever they like deepens poverty and causes varying dimensions of insecurity,” adding that they are “carried away by their present structure of security detail, but the sword of Damocles awaits them on exit from office.”

According to him, “the national minimum wage is not synonymous with the individual pay structures of the states which they implement religiously, reflecting their unique financial capabilities and circumstances,” adding, “This diversity in pay structures underscores the flexibility that already exists within the system, allowing states to reward their workers in alignment with their financial realities.”

The NLC urged governors “to abandon any inclination towards dictatorial practices, as the process remains a tripartite one.” The union called for “policies and actions driven by equity and fairness,” insisting that “ensuring a fair minimum wage is not only a matter of economic justice but also a fundamental aspect of maintaining social stability and national cohesion. Nigerian workers should not be reduced to beggars! Enough is enough!”

Stating that the concept of a national minimum wage is not arbitrary, the NLC explained that it “represents a national wage floor, a baseline below which no worker in the law should be paid. This threshold is a collective agreement that ensures a minimum standard of living for every worker in the law.”

Slamming the governors for their arguments, which appeared “inconsistent when juxtaposed with the remuneration of political office holders,” he asked, “why is there no hue and cry when political office holders across the nation receive uniform salaries as determined by Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission,” insisting that “the double standards which pith a few privileged against the majority poor is an issue that should be of concern to those who love this country.”

He also expressed the NLC’s concern about the governors’ “blatant display of ignorance regarding the global best practices for a national minimum wage by some of these Governors,” maintaining that “It is evident that, despite their frequent travels abroad, they have deliberately chosen not to educate themselves on fundamental global issues crucial to successful governance.”

He said the “level of self-imposed ignorance on basic industrial relations matters, clearly illustrates why our nation is poorly governed, resulting in unacceptable suffering of Nigerians,” and recommended that the governors making such demand should, “return to school for proper education as they constitute a threat to our democracy.”

The NLC said it is disappointed that the governors often see paying workers’ salaries “as charity rather than the hard-earned income of hardworking Nigerians. It is equally painful that some of these governors fail to realise that workers salaries substantially drive the economy,” adding that, “The fate of Nigerian workers cannot be left solely in the hands of employers, whether public or private. No sane society does that. What the governors are asking for is akin to allowing numerous companies and organizations in Nigeria to pay workers whatever they like.”

The union added that while “companies may not pay the same salaries, they must adhere to the national wage floor, and the same should apply to state governors.”

The union, therefore, advised President Bola Tinubu, “who had promised a living wage (which is superior to a minimum wage), not to allow himself to be blackmailed or boxed into a corner by unpatriotic governors,” and urged the federal government to stop dithering on the issue of the national minimum wage because of the gang-up by some selfish governors.”