Gombe Governor Told to Resign if N70,000 Wage Unpaid – NLC

Gombe governor faces calls to resign from the NLC over failure to pay the N70,000 minimum wage. Learn more about the unfolding situation.

Governors who cannot fulfill the new N70,000 minimum wage have been urged by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to resign from their positions.

In reply to the statement made by Inuwa Yahaya, Governor of Gombe State, regarding his administration’s inability to meet the financial demands of the recently introduced national minimum wage.

These comments were made by Governor Yahaya, who acts as both the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and hosted a gathering at Government House in Gombe that was attended by labour leaders, civil society organisations, and traders associations.

Benson Upah, the Head of Public Relations for the NLC, suggested that Governor Yahaya step down in response to his statement.

“Upah asserted that if he is unable to pay, then he should resign. Taking an oath of office means upholding the law rather than violating it,” Upah declared.

The Trade Union Congress has not issued any official statement concerning the governor’s stance in response to inquiries.

It should be remembered that the newly enacted Minimum Wage Act was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu last week, thereby establishing N70,000 as the official minimum wage.

After almost two weeks of negotiations between the President and labor unions, who initially requested a minimum wage exceeding N250,000 per month, this determination was made.

After months of talks, the Federal Government and representatives from both organised labour and the private sector have reached an agreement on a minimum wage amounting to N70,000/month.

On July 15th, the Federal Executive Council assigned the duty of drafting a bill to modify the 2024 Budget to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.

President Tinubu requested an amendment to the 2024 Appropriation Act and the 2023 Finance Act, proposing a budget increase of N6.2 trillion one week later through submission to the Senate.

During a plenary session, the Senate President received and read a letter that was addressed to them.

The President’s action was in accordance with Section 58 (2) of the Constitution.

To ease concerns over adherence to the new minimum wage, the Federal Government has stated that it collaborated extensively with all pertinent parties between February and July through negotiations and consensus-building measures.