Minimum Wage Above N22,500 Will Lead To Inflation, Says Group

The Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness yesterday appealed to organised labour to accept the N22,500 being offered as minimum wage by state governors in the overall interest of the country, saying shutting down the country will only have negative effect on the already suffering masses.
Director General of the centre, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel, who said he was speaking for a coalition of over 79 civil society organisations, said anything above the figure being offered by the governors will lead to inflation.

He added that the burden of paying salaries is on state governments, saying it is one thing to agree but another thing to be able to pay, based on the prevailing economic situation in Nigeria.

He said it is also the responsibility of Nigerian workers to ensure that the economy of Nigeria does not collapse.

He said: “As a coalition of civil society organisations, therefore, who are mindful of the degree of commitment of the average worker in Nigeria, we hereby call on the organised labour, NLC, TUC, etc, as the true, patriotic citizens of Nigeria they are, to please reconsider the N22,500 as realistic and achievable in order to avert an imminent collapse of the economy and possible retrenchment of the workforce.

“The primary responsibility of any government is beyond salary payment. Consequently, today, the 2nd day of November, 2018, may we also advise that embarking on another national strike action or a boycott of the 2019 general election, which is tantamount to disenfranchising the entire nation’s labour force, is notonly anti-democratic but will also be counterproductive to the Nigerian state.