N30,000 not a living wage — Falana SAN

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falan, has said that the N30, 000 new National Minimum Wage approved for workers is not a living wage.

Falana, a human rights activist, disclosed this while delivering his speech during the Trade Union Congress Conference in Abuja yesterday.

He said what section 16 of the constitution provides for is “A living minimum wage, the N30,000 new national minimum wage you will all agree with me is not a living minimum wage.”

However, he commended the present administration for taking it up to increase that minimum wage from N18,000 to N30, 000.

He said in order for the government to ensure that the new minimum wage is paid by state governments, they must sit down with labour to ensure that “the wealth of our country is not desecrated.”

“All our governors now fly chattered air. You can’t pay minimum wage if you have to chatter air. Therefore, I’m calling on the federal government to collaborate with the labour congress,” Falana added.

Meanwhile, the organized labour vowed to fight governors who fail to pay the new National Minimum Wage recently signed into law.

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, disclosed this at the Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Trade Union Congress in Abuja yesterday.

He said governors who are unwilling to pay the new Minimum Wage should be ready for a stand-off with the NLC.

The organized labour commended the Jigawa State governor who expressed readiness to pay the minimum wage, while states such as Oyo said they can’t pay.