Amidst declarations by the Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Yahaya, stating the state’s incapacity to fulfill the N70,000 new minimum wage, the Nigeria Labour Congress has warned of potential confrontation.
The enactment of the N70,000 minimum wage by President Bola Tinubu became a law on Monday.
During a stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday at the Gombe Government House, Governor Yahaya emphasized, “I am unable to meet the N70,000 minimum wage, and I believe many other states are facing a similar challenge.”
In an interview on Wednesday, the NLC Secretary in Gombe State, Ibrahim Fika, expressed that the governor’s stance, who also chairs the Northern Governors’ Forum, could incite a fresh struggle by organized labor.
Fika stated, “The governor has made his position clear. We are anticipating a negotiation led by the national headquarters for adjustments; thereafter, we will initiate our own advocacy. The new minimum wage is now a legal requirement following legislative scrutiny and presidential assent.
“We fail to comprehend why a governor would claim inability to pay N70,000. Our expectation is for governors to consider even higher payments, not lower. We are determined to ensure that Gombe complies with the new minimum wage, with divine intervention.”