Address minimum wage issue to avoid strikes — Shehu Sani tells FG

Former Kaduna lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has called on the Federal Government to address the issue of minimum wage to avoid strikes from organised labour.

Sani made this call in an interview with Arise Television monitored by lawblogng

He added that the issue of minimum wage increment is within the means of the federal government of Nigeria.

“I don’t know how a Nigerian can survive with less than N100,000 if you break down what the government is offering N45,000-48,000, you will see how unrealistic it is by the time you factor in many things. The position taken by labour should be considered by the government.

“It is one thing agreeing to increase the minimum wage and then the capacity to pay. Let us not forget that in the last few years, the government has been finding it difficult to even pay the ones that I already have on paper, so how this could be reflected should be considered.

“But from what we have learnt since the withdrawal of subsidy, the government has more money and there’s no better way to effectively and productively spend it than to increase the minimum wage of Nigerian workers to a reasonable point where he can adequately take care of his family,” he said.

According to the former lawmaker, the government has the resources for a minimum wage of N615,000 adding that a living wage for the labourers is not a bad idea and should be considered but should be at a “reasonable point.”

Sani also stressed the reason for the displeasure from the citizens is because it seems they are the only ones sacrificing for the economy.

“Economic reforms are taking place in this country, there are consequences for the reforms. They are supposed to be sacrifices but it should be across the board.

“Workers are seeing that money is coming in trillions, they want their own share. When a nation subsidises, it makes more value for wages but when they are removed, you have to pay for it,” he said.