Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information & Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has raised concerns about the feasibility of implementing a N100,000 minimum wage in Nigeria.
In an interview with Arise Television, Onanuga emphasized the current financial challenges faced by the federal and state governments, suggesting that such a significant wage increase would be difficult to sustain.
Onanuga pointed out that the majority of state governments are already struggling to meet the demands of the current minimum wage, with 26 out of 36 states reportedly unable to fully comply.
Onanuga buttressed his assertion with the fact that most state governors were even currently struggling to pay the present minimum wage. He said, “Let me tell you, the last time it was done under President Buhari when the wage was increased to N30,000 per month, till today, 26 state governments could not pay it, out of 36, only 10 are paying.
“The rest have not paid the whole rate or maybe they’ve just improved a bit. But mostly, according to the people who have monitored it, 26 state governments are unable to comply. “Whatever the government wants to do now, even if we increase wages to 100,000 naira, will the Federal Government be able to pay?”