By Milcah Tanimu

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, asserts that both federal and state governments can afford to pay the national minimum wage if they recover looted funds. Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Falana emphasized the potential for financial resources within the government’s reach.

“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,” Falana stated.

This statement comes amidst ongoing negotiations between organized labour and the federal government over the new minimum wage. Labour initially demanded N62,000, which the federal government rejected. In a recent meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the New Minimum Wage held in Abuja, labour reduced its demand to N250,000 from N494,000, while the federal government slightly increased its offer from N60,000 to N62,000.

The implementation of the proposed minimum wage is expected to be delayed until July 2, due to the National Assembly’s holiday schedule. During the interview, Falana urged Nigerian authorities to show the necessary political will to pay the minimum wage, highlighting the availability of funds through the recovery of looted assets.