The Nigerian government’s approval of a N70,000 minimum wage was a hard-won victory for workers, but state governors are now sabotaging this progress by delaying payments. This is a betrayal of trust and a recipe for disaster. Thousands of civil servants are already struggling to make ends meet, and further delays will push them deeper into debt and poverty.
A few months ago, the Nigerian economy hit a nervy turn after the federal government decided to cut the massive windfall injected into petrol, which made its price very cheap and constantly put the country in debt. Without the subsidy, petrol rises from #250 to #1000. Food prices increase, and general inflation pervades the country. The stoppage of the subsidy is to save more money in the Treasury to stabilise the economy. Nonetheless, citizens now live in precarious conditions as a result of the high cost of living and soaring food prices.
To save the workers from falling down the economic ladder, the agitation of the Nigerian Labour Union (NLC) led to the increase of the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, which was signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, some Nigerian governors are refusing to implement it, citing a paucity of funds. This excuse is laughable, given the astronomical increase in federal allocations to states. From N290.71 billion in 2023 to N473.477 billion in 2024, governors have no excuse for not paying workers the minimum wage.
The governors are known for their lackadaisical attitude toward improving workers’ salaries. Many states refused to pay the previous N30,000 minimum wage, leaving workers to bear the brunt of poor governance. Almost 15 states shun the then NLC demand to pay as signed into law. In the boundaries of their states, thousands of workers owed the past governors huge backlog salaries. Presently, those at the helm of power had publicly cried on the multimillionaire debt burden of workers’ salaries they inherited.
A report by the Daily Trust reveals the agony of Nigerian civil servants grappling with the trauma of poor remuneration and failed governance by state governors. One Felicia Anthony, living in Abuja, whose family’s burden pushes her to a state of bereavement, could no longer fund her children’s education. Apart from her rent, she couldn’t even afford the daily transport to her workplace with her meagre salary.
Three months ago, another worse scenario trailed the woes of medical doctors in Niger State, when the government inappropriately dismissed their service in favour of victimising them. Their grievances for the implementation of promotion are overlooked. The few senior members among them depart for more lucrative offers beyond the state. Due to insufficient medical personnel, indigent people are left to face the imminent dread of sudden death. The list goes on.
Insufficient servicemen undermine productivity
In 2023, according to the Nigerian Country Diagnostic Note (CDN) by the African Development Bank (AFDB), about 34.3 percent of Nigerian workers were working poor and living in poverty despite being employed. The agony of Nigerian workers fuels the intent of leaving the country in favour of a better-paying job abroad. The tech industries are presently depleted of workers.
The brain drain is already happening. Skilled workers in the tech industry and other sectors are fleeing to countries like Canada and Germany, where they can earn decent wages. Analysis shows that the Tech Industries pay an average software developer 40 dollars an hour in Canada and Germany, which is ₦62,934.80 in Nigerian currency. It was gathered that the registered nurses earn 37 dollars (₦58,296.46 (NGN). While other finance managers and psychologists earn 43 dollars (₦67,764.97 NGN) per hour. While a Nigerian doctor receives a meagre amount of N160,000 to N600,000 monthly, depending on level and position.
Unfortunately, the tech industries no longer have software developers, data analysts, programmers, and other cyber security specialists that support technological advancement in the country. Most of them are abandoning the industries for lucrative offers overseas. Again, Techcabal reported that 52 percent of tech professionals are likely to quit their jobs for opportunities abroad. The impact on critical sectors is already being felt. Other sectors like banking, commerce, and education are losing highly qualified experts. Productivity will be undermined, and the economy will suffer more.
Also, based on a Nigerian Legit report, those landing on the shores of the UK and Britain as cleaners earn a monthly pay of N994k and 100 dollars with a two-day holiday in a year. This is unlike those in Nigeria that collect as little as N10,000 or less monthly. This fat salary is among the juicy opportunities luring Nigerians to flee the country to avoid living in beggarly conditions.
State governors are more interested in reckless spending than paying workers. In three months, they spent N968 billion on entertainment, including N322.6 billion on frivolities. This is unacceptable when workers are struggling to survive. Only one governor, from Adamawa State, has agreed to pay workers the new minimum wage in September. Others are watching as their workers suffer.
If governors continue to delay implementing the new minimum wage, workers will be pushed to the brink of extinction. Depression, poverty, and desperation will become the norm. This is a ticking time bomb, and governors must act now to prevent a catastrophe.
Usman Yakubu Usman is a Journalism for Liberty fellow at the Liberalist Centre.
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