Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged the Federal Government to increase allocation to states to enable them to pay the new minimum wage. He made this plea at the 7th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in Ado-Ekiti.
Oyebanji clarified that the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) supports a living wage for workers but emphasized that payment must consider each state’s financial capacity, reflecting fiscal federalism. He noted that governors aim to avoid downsizing their workforce, and individual states must determine their affordable wage levels.
Additionally, Oyebanji encouraged Ekiti State civil servants to explore agriculture, announcing that his administration has allocated over 2,000 hectares of land for interested residents.
This call comes amid negotiations between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on a new minimum wage. The NLC proposes N250,000, while the Federal Government offers N62,000. Governors suggest N57,000, lower than the current N30,000. The Southern Governors Forum also advocates for states to negotiate their own minimum wage, considering varying cost of living across states.
