New minimum wage: workers, traders express divergent views

Residents and workers in Ilorin, the Kwara capital, have reacted to the new national minimum wage announced by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
Some of them who spoke to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Wednesday expressed divergent views on the minimum wage and urged governments at all levels to do their very best to improve the welfare of workers.
Mr Ayodeji Babatunde, a private sector employee, said: “I really don’t know what to say at this stage because the issue of a new national minimum wage is dragging on for too long.
“But the question that keeps coming to my mind is that is the federal government able to pay and how sustainable is N30, 000 for states?
“For me, I think it is reasonable for states to pay N27, 000 because it is one thing to agree to pay and another, to be able to pay.
“You may say it is because I work in the private sector, but let’s just face reality, I think the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should allow this to go through,’’ he said.
Mr Femi Olaotan, a civil servant, expressed displeasure in the way the federal and state governments are treating their workers.
“I’m not particularly happy about the whole minimum wage issue. N30, 000 is not too much, the wage review is long overdue and to think that we are going into yet another review period is raising more concerns.
“The government should have mercy on us, as there are no other allowances and benefits coming with the new minimum wage; this is all we have to look forward to at the end of every month.
“Gone were those days when housing was made available to civil servants, we are not talking about any car and furniture loans that we used to have access to.
“When are we ever going to be proud Nigerian workers? Let there be a uniform minimum wage, if there won’t be uniformity, let the federal government pay its staff above N30, 000 which should be the least,’’ he said.
Another respondent, Mrs Muibat Alao, told NAN that half a loaf was better than none.
“One thing I know our governments for is that they can promise and fail, so it is better to allow them to pay what is convenient for them to sustain.
“The N18, 000 before now, some states still owe, and some were paying half salaries, so what are we talking about?
“Let the NLC give in this time, and wait for another review year to push their luck again,’’ she said.
Traders were not left out in the reactions as some of them expressed gratitude to the government for the raise in pay.
“We are always happy when things go well for civil servants because they are our major customers.
“I am not saying the government has done their best, but they have tried to raise the pay, it will also impact positively on our trading activities.
“The only fear I have now is for inflation in the prices of goods and services, especially for petrol.
“I appeal to workers and the NLC to accept what has been offered, and leave God to handle other issues,’’ Mrs Mary Adams, a grain seller, said.
Ibrahim Saliu, an onion seller, simply said: “it is good that government has increased workers’ salaries’’.
NAN reports that on Tuesday, the federal government said that it would pay its workers N30, 000 while the National Council of States recommended N27, 000 as the new national minimum wage for state government employees.