Governor Bala Mohammed Praises Tinubu As NLC President Describes Current Minimum Wage As Starvation Wage

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has commended President Bola Tinubu for setting up of the Tripartite Committee on the new National Minimum Wage.

According to the Governor, who spoke in Yola on Thursday at the committee’s north-east zonal public hearing, the President’s move is a bold step towards addressing the nation’s wage policy needs.

He advised that a realistic minimum wage must be agreed upon so as to mitigate the current suffering of the people.

“We praise Tinubu for the courage to set up this committee. Not many will accept this as a task that must be done,” Mohammed said at the event held in the Banquet Hall of the Government House Yola.

Naija News reports the zonal meeting in Yola, was attended by delegates from the six states of the north-east, and was chaired by the president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.

Speaking during his opening address at the event, Ajaero said what Nigerian workers currently earn as minimum wage is a starvation wage.

“What they call minimum wage is now starvation wage”, he asserted, adding that an average worker spends all his minimum wage on transportation alone.”

He said apart from the zonal meetings regarding the minimum wage which are intended to gather the opinions of Nigerians, there should be ‘market hearings’ as well so the prices of goods in the market must be considered in determining the eventual national minimum wage.