The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale Oyerinde, has asserted that no state government can justify failing to implement the newly approved ₦70,000 minimum wage by citing insufficient funds. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
Oyerinde pointed out that with the federal government’s consistent increase in monthly revenue allocations to states, claims of inadequate funding are no longer valid. During an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, he discussed the implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu in 2024. He urged state governments to exercise fiscal discipline in managing their resources to ensure the effective rollout of the new minimum wage.
“The issue of lacking funds to pay ₦70,000 doesn’t arise because it’s no longer hidden that the federal government is consistently supporting the states. Federal allocations to state governments have increased proportionately. With a little fiscal discipline, no state should claim it cannot pay the ₦70,000 approved by the president,” Oyerinde said.
The NECA DG expressed confidence that no state government would default on the new minimum wage, adding that the presentation of the 2025 budgets offers an opportunity for states to incorporate funds for the wage, especially those that claimed it was not included in their 2024 budgets.
“We don’t expect states to fail to pay. We believe it has been included in their 2025 budgets. Those that argued it wasn’t in their 2024 budgets are likely presenting their budgets now, or have already presented them to their houses of assembly. So we expect it to be in their 2025 budgets, and we sincerely hope that all states comply with the ₦70,000 wage,” he said.
Oyerinde also called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to take proactive measures in engaging with state governments that might resist implementing the ₦70,000 minimum wage. He emphasized that non-compliance cannot be justified by claims of insufficient funds.
He reiterated that the new ₦70,000 minimum wage is now the standard and urged all stakeholders to ensure its implementation, despite the challenging economic conditions.
“If any state refuses to pay, since funding is no longer an issue, the NLC and TUC will need to intensify their engagement efforts and possibly reconsider their strategies to ensure all states comply,” he concluded.
“The reality is that ₦70,000 is now the standard, and everyone must adhere to it, except for those explicitly exempted.”
