Organised Labour has urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the Federal and State Governments regarding the delay in implementing the new minimum wage.
The workers’ union also cleared the Federal Government of any intentional wrongdoing, stating it would be unjust to assume there was a deliberate effort to avoid paying the new wage.
This was articulated by the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, during an interview on Monday.
President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29 after discussions with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
According to reports, only seven states—Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia—have formed committees to implement the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage.
The states that have yet to establish implementation committees include Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Zamfara, Benue, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Adamawa, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Cross River, and Yobe.
So far, only Lagos and Edo have reported that they have started paying the new minimum wage.
However, on Monday, the Adamawa government announced its willingness to begin paying the new wage, joining the growing list of states committed to the implementation.
Ndubuaku emphasized that there might be a slight delay due to the procedures involved in implementing the N70,000 wage, but expressed optimism that the process could be completed by the end of August.
He explained, “There is no reason to suspect a deliberate delay. Signing the wage bill is just a small part of the overall process. The consequential adjustment involves calculating the new minimum wage from level one, step one, up through to level 16, and this can take time. There are templates to follow, and we must be included in the process. A committee is in place to carry out the necessary adjustments, and we expect the work to be finished by the end of the month.”
