By Milcah Tanimu
Organized labour has called on state governors to allocate their security votes towards paying the new minimum wage. Prince Adewale Adeyanju, President-general of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, made this appeal on Tuesday, June 25.
Adeyanju criticized state governors, alleging that their security votes are not being used to protect lives and property, while they continue to pay workers “slave wages” and maintain luxurious lifestyles. He urged President Bola Tinubu to approve the demand for a minimum wage of N250,000, demonstrating his compassion for Nigerian workers.
As a member of the organized labour negotiation team in the Tripartite Committee for the New National Minimum Wage, Adeyanju expressed frustration with state governors for hindering fair wage negotiations. He noted that discussions had seen proposals ranging from N30,000 to N62,000, with labour advocating for N250,000.
Adeyanju emphasized that the current economic hardships necessitate a higher minimum wage to improve workers’ lives. He urged President Tinubu to disregard governors who resist fair wages, suggesting that the security votes could sufficiently cover the proposed minimum wage. Highlighting that some states, like Edo, already pay N70,000, he reinforced the feasibility of meeting the N250,000 demand.