Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has on Tuesday said the proposed N30,000 minimum wage when compared to the reality of life inflation in Nigeria is not enough to feed a family.
Mr Obaseki made this revelation while holding negotiations on the proposed new Minimum wage with an Organised Labour in Abuja.
Mr Obaseki added that Nigerian masses at present require strong Institution not strong men to drive the sustainable growth of the Nigeria project.
The organised labour has accused some state governors of not wanting to make a commitment to pay the N30,000 minimum wage, the Labour has vowed to take it up with any governor until they yield to its request.
The organised labour has also taunted the federal government that its only workable policy is monthly gathering in Abuja to share monthly allocations.
Governor Obaseki and the organised labour team have spoken on lengthy discussions at the 7th quadrennial Delegate Conference of the Non-Academic Staff Unions of Education and Associate Institutions, NASU, in Abuja.
At the conference, while delivering a lecture titled “Funding Education, Health Research Institutions and other Social Services in a Depressed Economy, Challenges and Prospects” Obaseki disclosed, right now the Edo state government was already paying N25,000 initiated by his predecessor when the National Minimum wage was just N18,000.
Therefore, to upgrade to N30,000 will not be a problem for his state as he is committed to the welfare of the citizens, saying what he is more concern is not even the pay but the general working condition of these civil servants that will make them happy while doing the work.
More so, the Governor added that what he is thinking is that when the workers are putting more input into the system, it is fair they demand a fair share of what they are contributing, as it has been identified that education is key to everything.
Obaseki advocated to the labour that what they should demand is strong institutions that will be poised for the general development of all as against the status co.
