New minimum wage, challenge to states

[bamalli]

New minimum wage, challenge to states – Saraki
By Abel Orukpe Correspondent, Lagos


Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, admitted on Tuesday that he is having sleepless nights finding ways to pay the minimum wage of N18,000 Labour fought tooth and nail to prise out of federal and state governments, and which the National Assembly has just passed into law.

The Bill is awaiting the assent of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Saraki cited the financial challenges faced by Kwara, a landlocked agrarian state, but said a forum will be created to discuss the matter.

He spoke in Lagos where he accompanied Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo  to Tafawa Balewa Square to flag off their Presidential campaign.

He said he is as worried as any Nigerian about the minimum wage, noting that some other states will also have problem paying it.

"We are all reading the newspapers," he told reporters, and "I am aware that the law has been passed, but I know that there are one or two things that we have talked about in terms of revenue allocation review as well as Constitution amendment review.

"I am worried just as you are, so I think that very soon there will be a forum that will allow us look at the implementation. But there is no doubt about it except we want to play politics with it."

Saraki explained that some states will face challenges in paying the minimum wage not because they do not want to do so, "Not because they don't believe that workers should have it, but because of the economic realities that we are facing."

He acknowledged that he only has two months left in office, but maintained that the welfare of workers should be looked into outside the political play book.

"I have two more months to go but I really have to put myself in the shoes of workers, and I think that all of us as stakeholders need to think of the workers and don't play politics with it. That is my own opinion."
   

[bakangizo]

I think he has a point. In as much as we want to believe the state governments (read governors) do not want to pay simply because they want to keep on stealing the money, I really think a lot of states would have dificulties paying this minimum wage amount.