TheCable

President Bola Tinubu has asked state governments to start paying N35,000 wage award to their workers. 

Tinubu spoke on Monday during the flag-off of mechanised agricultural tools in Minna, Niger state capital.

In October 2023, Tinubu approved N35,000 provisional wage award for all treasury-paid federal government workers for six months.

The payment was expected to commence in September 2023.

The approval was made after a meeting between the representatives of the federal government and leaders of the organised labour to avert the planned indefinite nationwide strike by the labour unions.

The unions had directed their members across the country to mobilise for a “shutdown of the nation” on October 3 as a protest against the removal of the petrol subsidy and the economic hardship in the country.

Only federal government workers have been benefiting from the wage award.

Speaking in Minna, Tinubu said the wage award would serve as a relief to the workers pending the conclusion of the review of the minimum wage.

The president said the announcement of a new minimum wage will not trigger inflation if the state governments pay the wage award.

“If all of you, the sub-nationals have been paying the wages award, pending the determination of the new salary wage,” Tinubu said.

“Let all the states start paying the wages award. Whatever they are taking now plus the wage award would relieve the public.

“Please, I am not giving an order. I am appealing to you states; start paying the wages awards. Let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people.

“The mechanism is the fact that it won’t be inflationary if we announce the new salary wage in a few weeks or months. They would have gotten used to the basic wages of N30,000 plus the wages award, and it will have a dampening effect on the market.”