The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and governor of Ekiti state Mr. Kayode Fayemi yesterday said state governments have made it a binding to implement the N30,000 new minimum wage.
The governor said this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said a review of the revenue sharing formula is still the position of the governors to enable them to implement the minimum wage without hitches, stressing that there is no state government that would pay anything less than N30,000 as minimum wage.
He said: “We feel that it’s time for the revenue sharing formula to change and we have made a representation to the President and Commander-in-Chief not just under the Buhari administration.
”This has been an ongoing agitation that started way back since the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo it continued on President Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan.
”So, it’s not just something that has been brought out under President Buhari,” he said.
The governor revealed that already the forum had presented its position on the proposed review of the revenue sharing formula to Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for possible consideration.
“You also know that there is a process to this. The process is that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, which has the responsibility for this would do its own due diligence, consult widely with critical stakeholders.
”We have also made available our own representation to RMAFC. Every state has a representative at RMAFC as you know and only last week, RMAFC held a retreat on this and other matters and I believe they will communicate the position.
”Now that we have a full-fledged RMAFC in place with a Chairman and other members appointed, it is our expectation that this would be taken up by RMAFC with Mr. President in a manner that we have taken it up.
”Whether that would affect negotiation for the minimum wage, I can tell you no. A minimum wage is a law.
”But as I have always said to you, a national minimum wage act is not a general minimum wage review. They are two separate things.”
He said consequential adjustment may not necessarily end up being the same among the states.
”Some of us have started paying N30,000 as you may be aware, others want negotiations on the consequential adjustment to end before they start paying the minimum wage.
”And as you may be aware, what has happened so far is that the federal government has agreed with a percentage of consequential adjustment with labour.”What is happening currently in states and the majority of our states have started that negotiation, which is to agree on what that consequential adjustment would be in the state.
I have also said too many people who have asked me, fingers are not equal at the level of the states. “So, a consequential adjustment may not necessarily end up being the same, it will be different from state to state. But I can assure Nigerians that no state is going to pay anything less than N30, 000,” he said.
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