President Bola Tinubu’s announcement in Enugu of a new N70,000 minimum salary for public officials elicited a range of responses.
Some applauded the president for putting an end to the minimum wage crisis, while others claimed that the amount was insufficient given the nation’s economic circumstances.
On Thursday, Mr. Tinubu gave his approval for a new minimum wage of N70,000 while meeting with the Abuja leadership of organized labor.
The N30,000 minimum pay, which expired on April 18, 2024, would be replaced by the new minimum wage if it is approved by the National Assembly.
Olu Omotayo, a lawyer from Enugu and the head of the Citizens’ Rights Realization and Advancement Network (CRRAN), reacted to the news by praising Mr. Tinubu for bringing an end to the protracted negotiations between the tripartite committee on minimum wage and organized labor.
In his view, Mr. Tinubu has demonstrated a path ahead by stepping in and persuading labor to accept a minimum salary of N70,000.
He pointed out that the number of civil officials in the nation was little in comparison to the more than 200 million Nigerians that the government would also have to look after, thus the quantity of labor they were initially looking for was not achievable.
To enable workers to profit from the minimum wage, he did, however, advocate for its full adoption.
After much consideration, a federal government official named Matthew Ugbo praised the labor leaders and the government for their agreement.
Mr. Ugbo suggested that the bill be put into effect right away after it is approved into law and asked the government to present it to the National Assembly as soon as feasible for expedited passage.
While praising Tinubu, Godsown Onuzulike, president of The Potters Wheel, Enugu, said that the sum was insufficient to help workers considering the cost of goods on the market and people’s basic daily requirements.
He claims that it won’t help a civil servant who has to provide for a family of four.
He went on to say that the only way it could help federal officials was if they reduced their spending, counseling them to choose reasonably priced housing, childcare, and other necessities.
“In order to be able to manage the bare minimum and meet their daily needs, they should avoid expensive private schools and accommodations,” he stated.
Christian Alumona, a federal worker, stated that although the sum was insufficient in light of the challenging economic circumstances facing the nation,
A bag of rice costs about N100,000, so how can I make ends meet with the minimum wage of N70,000? As civil servants, how can we survive? This one is challenging. A minimum salary of N100,000 to N150,000 was what I expected,” he stated.
He warned that when consequential adjustments were made, the sum would not be the same again and that, after deductions, it might only be N60,000.
Lilian Okolo, a different civil servant, expressed her displeasure with the news of the N70,000 minimum pay.
“We won’t benefit from the amount. Given that a litre of fuel costs N780 in Enugu, it is not enough to comfortably fuel our automobile for a month. It is going to be challenging for civil servants with that much. According to Ms. Okolo, “I was expecting at least N100,000 minimum wage.”
