Nigerian Govs Distance Selves From Buhari’s $30bn Loan, Say Committed To N30,000 Minimum Wage

Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi has assured workers that the governors of the 36 states were committed to the payment of N30,000 minimum wage.

Fayemi, however distanced the 36 state governors from the plan by the federal government to borrow $30 billion in the next fiscal year.

The governor, who spoke during a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday night, said the $30 billion borrowing plan submitted to the National Assembly by the FG has nothing to do with the states.

“Minimum was not on our agenda because minimum wage is a settled matter. And governors have all indicated, without any equivocation, that we subscribe to the Act of Parliament that has been passed on the national minimum wage of N30,000.

“There is no debate, we have accepted that. The negotiation team that you are talking about (the negotiation team set up by each state with labour representatives) is not so much about the minimum wage.

“It is about the consequential impact of the minimum wage on the higher level and each state has started that process. If the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is not fully aware of the status of the negotiation. in the various states, we will be happy to share the information available to us with them.

“But, as far as we are concerned, there is no opportunity of decision in the governors’ forum to backtrack. We are not back tracking from the minimum wage.

“However, fingers are not equal. States have to negotiate in terms of the consequential implication.

“There may be states that are in a position to pay N50,000. What we can tell you is that no state will pay less than N30,000 when we finally get to that point,” he said.

On the $30 billion borrowing plan by the federal government, the chairman said: “You know the borrowing plan is a Federal Government borrowing plan. It is not the federation’s borrowing plan.

“The Federal Government’s borrowing plan to the National Assembly is really a matter between the Federal Government and the National Assembly.

“It is not something that we want to put ourselves in between. We don’t want to comment on that.” 

When asked if the NGF discussed the crisis in the Edo House of Assembly in the meeting with Speakers of all the Houses of Assembly, Fayemi said “On the question around the meeting with the Speakers, the meeting with our speakers was not about individual states. It was on general constitutional matters and we had very fruitful deliberations on that.

“So, we cannot comment on the issue you have raised about a specific state. I am sure that information will be available to you if you go to Edo State.”