Former governor of Ekiti State Kayode Fayemi has suggested that states should determine the minimum wage they can pay based on their individual economic conditions and the needs of their population.
Fayemi expressed his views on decentralised minimum wage negotiations during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, arguing that states should have the autonomy to negotiate with their respective labour unions to determine a suitable minimum wage.
He believes that each state should transparently assess its economic capabilities and negotiate with labour unions, taking into account the needs of the entire population, not just the labour force.
The former governor's position comes amid ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and labour unions over a new minimum wage. The unions are demanding N250,000, while the government has offered N62,000.
Fayemi emphasised that decentralised negotiations do not necessarily mean that workers in states will earn less than those at the federal level.
He pointed out that in the 1950s and 1960s, civil servants in the Western regions earned more than their federal counterparts.
The debate over the new minimum wage has sparked reactions from various stakeholders, with governors claiming that the earlier N60,000 offer to labour is unsustainable.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana believes that the states and Federal Government can afford to pay the minimum wage if they have the political will to do so.
President Bola Tinubu, in his Democracy Day speech, promised to pay what the government can afford, despite the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) insisting on N250,000 as a new minimum wage.
