N30,000 minimum wage: Governors insist on two conditions

The Nigerian Governors' Forum, NGF, has insisted on two conditions
under which it would pay the N30000 new minimum wage.

The Governors want a review of the sharing formula that will see them
get more money or downsizing of workforce.

The Governors claimed that accepting to pay the new wage without
fulfillment of the conditions will make the states go bankrupt

This has pushed the Federal Government to start considering a review
of the federation allocation sharing formula.

Though the Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee had recommended N30,000,
the Federal Government agreed to pay N24,000, while state governments
insisted on N22,500.

Following the threat by the organised labour to shutdown the economy
if the government refused to forward executive bill to the National
Assembly on the N30,000 new minimum wage, the Federal Government on
Tuesday summoned an emergency Federal Executive Council, FEC.

It was resolved at FEC that the matter should be tabled before the
National Economic Council, NEC, for further deliberations.

A source privy to the NEC meeting of yesterday told Sun that the
Federal Government has decided to take the governors' request to the
Council of State expected to meet on January 22.

The source said, "We are making progress. We will be meeting with the
Council of State on Tuesday, January 22.

"The governors are asking for a review of the revenue sharing formula
and government is looking at that.

"The Minimum Wage Technical Advisory Committee inaugurated recently is
looking into the revenue sharing formula."

On whether the Federal Government had agreed to allocate more
resources to state governments, the source said "everything is in
progress."

Meanwhile, briefing State House correspondents after the NEC meeting,
Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, affirmed that "the issue of
minimum wage was discussed."

He, however, added that he did not have the mandate of the council to
brief on that.