By Milcah Tanimu

George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has stated that the new minimum wage demanded by organized labor is unrealistic. Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, June 6, during a meeting with the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akume expressed his inability to pay his four drivers a minimum wage of ₦100,000 each.

“I can’t afford to pay my driver one hundred thousand because they are four. And these other people, dependents,” Akume lamented, questioning where the government would find the funds to meet such demands.

Akume’s remarks came amidst ongoing negotiations between the federal government, organized labor, and the private sector over a new national minimum wage. He emphasized that the government is considering economic productivity and stability in its deliberations, aiming to control inflation and ensure a balanced economy.

“Our people must rise up and have something in their pockets. It is not about demanding 100,000 naira without productivity. We are looking at controlling inflation and ensuring a balanced economy,” Akume asserted.

Akume also criticized the organized labor’s actions during their nationwide strike on Monday, which included shutting down the national grid. He described this as a treasonable offense and economic sabotage, stating, “Nowhere in the world has labor ever tampered with the national grid. It is treason! Treasonable felony is economic sabotage, you don’t do that.”

Despite these challenges, Akume assured that the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to implementing an acceptable minimum wage. He highlighted the government’s efforts to alleviate economic hardship through palliative measures, including a ₦35,000 wage increase and the distribution of essential goods such as rice.

“In 2019, the minimum wage was legislated up to 30,000 naira. It is an exclusive issue in the constitution, not on the concurrent list, but on the exclusive legislative list. That is why it is the federal government, working with the organized private sector and labor, that recommends it to the president for the national assembly’s attention. It is not that we are not working. We are working, and that is why we implemented the 35,000-naira wage, which is more than the minimum wage. There are buses ready to be distributed, and soon, rice and other essentials will be available,” Akume explained.

Akume called on the church to collaborate with the government in providing essential services such as education, health, and agriculture, emphasizing a symbiotic relationship between the two.

“The church must collaborate with the government in providing facilities for people whether it is in education, health, or agriculture. We don’t separate; we combine. There is a symbiotic relationship that can never be destroyed,” he said.