19th June, 2024
By Adejoke Adeleye/Ogun
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has tackled the former governor of Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi over his advocacy that state governments should be allowed to negotiate what they can pay as minimum wage with organized labour.
The student body in a statement signed by its National Clerk of its Senate, Abdul-Yekinn Odunayo described the advocacy by Fayemi as against an anti-workers’ posture.
Recall that the Federal Government and labour unions have been locked in negotiations over the new minimum wage for weeks. While organized labour insists on N250,000, the government is offering N62,000.
Fayemi in an interview last week, had advocated for a decentralized minimum wage negotiation, arguing that States should determine what they can pay, factoring in their peculiarities.
But NANS, while reacting to Fayemi’s statement called on the Federal government to ignore the former governor and rather compel the State governors to implement the new minimum wage if signed into law.
Odunayo described Fayemi’s statement as “uncalled for and capable of setting the governors against the Federal government and Nigerian workers.
“We want to urge the Federal government to ignore former governor Kayode Fayemi and his call for a decentralised minimum wage negotiation with the labour.
“In fact, we want the Federal government to compel State governors to pay the new minimum wage if signed into law and mete out serious sanction and punishment to any State governor who default in the payment of the new minimum wage.
“It is dangerous and unproductive to allow State governors to determine what they can pay as minimum wage. This can spell doom for Nigeria and set the governors against the Federal government”, Odunayo said.
Meanwhile, NANS, under the leadership of Pedro Obi has backed the labour unions for demanding for higher as minimum wage while restating that Nigerian Students will not relent in giving every necessary supports and encouragements to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration towards restoring the lost glory of the country and providing a conducive conditions for Nigerians, that would encourage Nigerians to live and work safely in the country.
NANS reiterated that, both the Federal and State governments must prioritise workers’ welfare and implement policies that would improve the living condition of Nigerians.