‘You Can Pay Minimum Wage With Recovered Loot’ – Falana Tells FG, State Governors

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has suggested ways for the federal and state governments to pay the minimum wage.

Naija News recalls that the organised labour and the federal government have yet to reach an agreement on the new minimum wage, with the latter rejecting the former’s N62,000 offer.

During the last meeting held by the Tripartite Committee on the New Minimum Wage on Friday in Abuja, labour reduced its demand to N250,000 from N494,000, while the Federal Government increased its offer from N60,000 to N62,000.

Following the Tripartite Committee report submitted to President Bola Tinubu, the proposed minimum wage may have to wait until 2 July because the National Assembly is on holiday.

In an interview on Channels TV, Falana insisted that federal and state governments can pay the national minimum wage if looted monies are recovered.

Falana urged the Nigerian authorities to muster the political will to take money from looted funds or money withheld from the federation account to pay the minimum wage.

He said, “The state governments that are saying they have no money to pay, the money is there. All they need, including the Federal Government, is to muster the political will to collect and recover money either looted or withheld from the federation account.”