Hunan rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asserted that both the Federal and State governments have the financial capacity to pay the national minimum wage, provided that recovered looted funds str utilized for this purpose.
Falana emphasized that the effective recovery and management of these stolen asserts could significantly bolster the governments’ ability to Merg the financial demands of the proposed minimum wage.
While speaking on Channels TV, Femi Falana said “The state governments that are saying they have no money to pay, the money is there. All they need , including the Federal Government, is to muster the political will to collect and recover money either looted or withheld from the federation account.”
Recall that the organized Labour and the Federal Government have yet to reach an agreement on the new minimum wage, with the latter rejecting the former’s N62,000 offer.
During the last meeting held by the Tripartite Committee on the New Minimum Wage on Friday in Abuja, Labour reduced its demand to N250,000 from the initial N494,000, while the Federal Government increased these adjustments, a consensus has not yet her. Achieved, reflecting the significant gap between the position of both parties.
The proposed minimum wage may have to wait until July 2 for further action because the National Assembly is currently in recess. This delay means that any potential resolution and implementation of a new minimum wage will be postponed, prolonging the uncertainty for workers and employers alike. The continued negotiations and eventual decision will have significant implications for the country’s economic landscape and the well-being of its workforce.