The Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP) has condemned the claim by the 36 state governors that they are unable to pay N60,000 as minimum wage to civil servants.

SERAP, in a statement, asked the governors to “redirect the funds they spend on life pensions to ex-governors and ‘security votes’ and use the savings to pay Nigerian workers a real living wage.”

The organisation’s submission comes after the governors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum, in a statement by the forum’s spokesperson Halimah Salihu-Ahmed, stated that the initially proposed N60,000 minimum wage “cannot fly” because it is unsustainable.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) held a meeting last week with representatives of the federal government at the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SGF), George Akume.

At the meeting, the federal government signed an agreement with Joe Ajaero of the NLC and Festus Osifo of the TUC, committing to settle for a wage higher than N60,000, which led to a five-day suspension of the nationwide strike that began on June 3.

However, the governors stated that if the proposed minimum wage is approved, many state governments will spend their entire allocation to pay salaries, with nothing left for developmental purposes.”

Meanwhile, the federal government has now increased its offer of a new national minimum wage to N62,000, while organised labour has reduced its demand from N494,000 to N250,000 as the deadline for the resumption of the strike draws near.