Shehu Sani Warns Against State Govts Sacking Over 600,000 Workers To Implement New Minimum Wage

Former federal lawmaker from Kaduna State, Senator Shehu Sani, has warned some Nigerian state governments against sacking 600,000 workers in order to be able to implement the new national minimum wage being demanded by the organised labour.

Sani in a post on his X platform (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday warned that if state governments sack 600,000 workers just to implement the new national minimum wage, it would lead to increase in insecurity, crimes, suicide and divorce rates in the country.  

He said, “The states sacking 600k workers in order to implement the new minimum wage will increase the risk of insecurity, Crime, suicide and divorce rates in the country.” 

SaharaReporters had reported that President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government faulted the N494,000 demanded by organised labour as the new national minimum wage, describing it as an economic death sentence for small businesses and a direct attack on the livelihoods of countless Nigerians.

Tinubu Presidency Says Labour’s N494,000 Minimum Wage Demand Is Economic Suicide For Small Businesses, Warns Of Catastrophic Fallout

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In June, organised labour embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike to push for a living wage for Nigerian workers after the government offered to pay N60,000.

The Nigerian government later offered to pay N62,000 and said that paying workers about N500,000 as minimum wage will have more negative impact on the country’s economy.

However, SaharaReporters had reported that the 36 state governors also rejected the federal government's proposed N62,000, stating that some states would need to borrow funds to pay salaries if this amount were implemented.

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said that it categorically rejects the attempt by some state governors to arbitrarily determine the minimum wage for workers, stating that the approach would exacerbate poverty and insecurity in the country. 

The labour union stressed that the state governors cannot unilaterally dictate wages, noting that such an arbitrary approach was not only dictatorial but also undermined the principles and model established for setting a national minimum wage in Nigeria.