Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, who also heads the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has made a passionate appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider hiking the national minimum wage to N100,000. The governor delivered this request during a Sallah visit to the President’s Lagos home on Friday, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other NGF members.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, AbdulRazaq highlighted that several states are already disbursing wages close to N100,000 to their workers. He urged the federal government to initiate a dialogue aimed at adopting this amount as the new minimum wage benchmark. “On the issue of minimum wage, most of the states are paying almost 100,000 naira today, and I urge your excellency, let’s all have a discussion in moving the minimum wage to 100,000,” AbdulRazaq stated. He expressed confidence that President Tinubu would provide the necessary support to implement this change across the nation.
The NGF chairman’s plea underscores the growing consensus among state governments that the current minimum wage is insufficient to meet the rising cost of living. By advocating for a higher wage floor, AbdulRazaq aims to improve the livelihoods of Nigerian workers, especially as many states have already taken steps to increase pay scales independently. This move signals a potential shift in labor policy, pending the federal government’s response.