Former presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe has proposed that state governors should have the authority to set the minimum wage for workers in their respective states, instead of following a uniform national minimum wage.
Okupe expressed this view during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
He criticized the National Minimum Wage Act, which requires governors to implement a standardized minimum wage nationwide.
Okupe argued that this policy is impractical due to the varying economic conditions and revenue capacities across different states.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Tinubu Offers N62,000 as New Minimum Wage
According to Okupe, “We should not make laws that are un-encompassing, that make it compulsory for all governors in the federation to obey them. They are sub-nationalities on their own.”
He further explained, “For instance, if you pay a minimum wage in Lagos, why should I pay that in Sokoto? Let every governor decide for his own state, based on his own people’s needs, what he can afford.”
Okupe’s remarks follow the Federal Government’s proposal of a new minimum wage of N62,000. Meanwhile, labor unions have adjusted their demand from N494,000 to N250,000.
This discussion comes in the wake of a brief indefinite strike on Monday, which was suspended on Tuesday to facilitate further negotiations.
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