TheCable

Oyo Kajola Group (OKG), a socio-political group, says the statement made by Seyi Makinde, governor-elect of Oyo state, on negotiating the payment of new minimum wage is based on the state’s financial capacity.

President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the new N30,000 minimum wage into law on April 18.

Makinde had kicked against the decision of Abiola Ajimobi, outgoing governor of the state, to approve the N30,000 minimum wage, saying states should be allowed to fix wages based on their individual ability.

In a statement seen by TheCable on Friday, Taiwo Ogunlade, the group’s media coordinator, said the decision of the governor-elect to negotiate with labour leaders is in the interest of the state.

According to the group, workers in the state should be ready to “reason and make compromises with the new government when such need arises, until the new government finds its feet.”

Ogunlade said it was uncharitable for opposition politicians and mischief makers to twist Makinde’s view about the situation in the state.

“The extant reality in Oyo State is such that the state’s financial capacity would not be able to bear the burden that will be occasioned by the sharp rise in wage,” the group said.

“While the governor-elect has promised to transform the state immensely and to turn around its internally-generated revenue, which will make it less dependent on federal allocations, all these cannot be done in a hurry.

“The workers, who we believe, have always been partners in the progress of the state, should be ready to negotiate with the new government, so that it could find its feet and stabilise governance.”

According to the group, Oyo state has been groaning under a heavy financial burden adding that the “outgoing government has continued to pile more burdens with last-minute attempts to ground the incoming government.”

“Oyo State workers should not forget in a hurry how Governor Abiola Ajimobi had, in 2011, dilly-dallied over the new minimum wage and how he had waged wars on the workers, ranging from threats to blackmail.”