The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is gearing up for a major confrontation after Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Yahaya, declared that the state could not afford the newly mandated N70,000 minimum wage.
This declaration comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the new minimum wage bill into law on Monday, which requires all states to comply with the N70,000 payment.
Governor Yahaya made his stance clear during a stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday at the Gombe Government House. He stated, “I cannot pay the N70,000 minimum wage, and I suspect many other states are in the same predicament.” His statement has sparked significant concern and resistance from the NLC, particularly within Gombe State.
On Wednesday, the NLC Secretary in Gombe State, Ibrahim Fika, responded to the governor’s remarks in an interview. Fika expressed that the governor’s position, especially as the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, could lead to a renewed struggle by organized labor. He emphasized that the new minimum wage is now a law and should be adhered to by all states.
“The governor has said his mind before us. We are anticipating the table of the national headquarters for the adjustment; from there we will start our own struggle because as we all know, the new minimum wage is now a law after passing through scrutiny in the legislature and getting the presidential assent,” said Fika. “We don’t see the reason why a governor will say he can’t afford to pay N70,000. We are expecting governors to pay more than that, not less. We will do our possible best to see that Gombe enjoys the new minimum wage by God’s grace.”
