The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked any state governor in the country who cannot pay the N18,000 minimum wage to resign from office without delay.

The NLC insisted that the N18,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers was not fixed but was negotiated through a tripartite system.
The National President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, made this declaration in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the weekend while speaking with journalists shortly after attending the Janazah prayers organised for the late wife of the former Vice-President of NLC, Mr. Issa Aremu, Hamdalah.

He also warned that any governor reneging on that agreement was breaking the law of the land, adding that such governor should resign from his position.
Wabba also  hailed the ongoing war against corruption by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying corruption had killed more people in the country than auto accidents.

“They have been misinforming the people about the N18,000 minimum wage. Minimum wage is not fixed, it was negotiated through a tripartite system; 10 state governors represented the governors, federal government and organised private sector were also represented. It was a tripartite process of collective bargaining.

“We had looked at all the indices of ability to pay. It is a law and anybody who refuses to pay is breaking the law of Nigeria and we advise such governor to resign.

“Why is it that the salary of councillors to the highest political office all over the country despite their inability to pay is the same? If there is economic challenge, why should it be the workers that will bear the burden? Councillors in least economic viable to the most economic viable states in the country earn the same salaries. So who are they fooling?

“Can they continue to fool us? When the resources were there workers were not enjoying. Now that there is a challenge in the system why should the burden be shifted only to the workers? That is not acceptable to us. This is like a battle for us as we must continue to insist that workers should work in dignity and there must be dignity in labour,” he posited.

Credit: ThisDay