Seyi Makinde argues that federal government should not impose a national minimum wage on states since Nigeria is a federation.
Oyo state governor-elect, Seyi Makinde has said his administration can't pay the new minimum wage signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Makinde said this on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, in Abuja after an induction programme for returning and newly elected governors.
While addressing journalists on the new minimum wage, the governor-elect said the federal government should not impose a national minimum wage on states since Nigeria is a federation.
According to Tribune, Makinde, said he would negotiate with the Oyo state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) saying the state cannot pay the new National Minimum Wage.
“It (New Minimum Wage) has been signed into law. I personally believe that individual states should have been allowed to negotiate this because conditions of living in Lagos are obviously not the same as living in Ibadan.
“And I will definitely say without fear or favour that it’s part of the reasons why we are thinking of restructuring. That’s a federal system of government.
“We have a federation but the state governments I believe, are no subordinate to the federal government. They are coordinate governments.
“Then, when the federal government makes a law that says ‘well, we are going to pay 30,000 as minimum wage,’ what’s the condition in my state? Can we support it? I don’t think.
“We are going to engage the Nigeria Labour Congress in my state and we see how we go from there.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, April 18, 2019, assented to the N30,000 new National Minimum Wage Bill as approved by the two chambers of the National Assembly.