Governors who fail to pay the new minimum wage, should be impeached by the state houses of assembly, the organised labour has urged. Emmanuel Ugboaja, general-secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), made the appeal while speaking to journalists on Sunday in Lagos.
In April, President Muhammadu Buhari approved N30,000 as the minimum wage and after a series of meetings between the federal government and labour leaders, there was an agreement on the implementation of the new minimum wage.
Subsequently, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directed Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, to effect the payment of N30,000 new minimum wage before December. But the governors said the agreement between the federal government and labour was not binding on them.
However, the union said some of the governors fly on private jets, and asked why they cannot pay the new wage.
Said Ugboaja: “It is criminal to say you cannot pay the new minimum wage. Some of these leaders ride in private jet, so they can pay”.
He said the organised labour was in support of the return of the labour advisory council, which would help to mediate between the government and workers just as he asked the federal government to take actions against employers who will not pay the new wage.
