State governors have dismissed the possibility of a new national minimum wage exceeding ₦70,000, according to reports from The Nation. After a meeting in Abuja, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) reviewed various options and concluded that amounts above ₦70,000 are unfeasible, ruling out the ₦100,000 option proposed by some.
During the meeting, governors considered wage options between ₦60,000, previously offered by the Federal Government, and ₦70,000, currently paid by the Edo State Government. A source disclosed that the NGF decided to deliberate on these options further, with a committee led by Governor Uzodimma tasked with making recommendations.
The committee’s findings will be reviewed in a subsequent NGF meeting. The governors emphasized that no state can afford a ₦100,000 minimum wage, highlighting that some states still struggle to pay the current ₦30,000 minimum wage, with a few still paying ₦18,000. This stance aligns with Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s previous statement that states will only agree to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable.”