Gombe State – Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State appears frightened as it is turning to become increasingly like the new national minimum wage, fixed at N70,000 that is not only impracticable but a critical hit on the treasury of the state. Governor Yahaya revealed that his state, not minding the enhanced inflow from the Federation Account, will not be able to meet the demands of the new wage based on the financial capacity of his administration.
While speaking to labour leaders, civil society organizations and traders’ associations at the Government House, Gombe, during a meeting on Tuesday, the Governor expressed concern at the economic cost of the new wage policy.
“I cannot pay the N70,000 minimum wage, and I suspect many other states are in the same predicament,” noted Yahaya. “Indeed, many governors of states can barely manage to pay the N30,000 old minimum wage, let alone the new one, which massively drains the financial systems of state governments across Nigeria.
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He also said that his state is yet to receive the 20 trucks of rice from the federal government, promised to the state in order to cushion their sufferings. He said that the state only received N2 billion instead of the N5 billion palliative allegedly given to states.
The development has become topical in a necessity- provoking discussion board of how the governors can be forced to pay the new minimum wage.
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In trying to answer this, the activist lawyer in Port Harcourt, Barr Anyakweh Miracle Amadi, opined the fact that the state Houses of Assemblies will only be duty-bound to make a law via a minimum wage bill to give bite to the new wage policy. This, the lawyer said cannot keep the governors who do not need to wait for the state assembly’s law to pay the new minimum wage.
It will be recalled that Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Nigerian Senate, had declared that staff like house help, apprentice, and other domestic workers would never receive less than N70,000. He made the assertion in the bill promulgated on Tuesday, July 23, on the new minimum wage, forwarded to the chamber by President Bola Tinubu.
Governor Yahaya’s statement only restated the constraints in finance that most of the states face in executing the new policy on wages and consequently questioned the sustainability of the measures laid down if the federal government were not to offer adequate support.
You better resign and hand over to your deputy or speaker. Why not cut cost, reduce your convoy, police, SSA, PA and so on to meet up the payment of salaries. If you can not pay collect the same salary with the civil servant. No contract and allowances period.