Falana Declares No State Excuse: Minimum Wage Must Be Paid Post-Subsidy Gains

Falana Declares No State Excuse: Minimum Wage Must Be Paid Post-Subsidy Gains

Foremost lawyer and rights activist, Femi Falana, has asserted that all Nigerian states have the capacity to pay the minimum wage due to the financial gains from the removal of the fuel subsidy.

Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Falana warned that states failing to comply would face legal action. “There is no state in Nigeria today that cannot pay more than the minimum wage because the government removed fuel subsidy last year and President Tinubu told Nigerians that the money made from that policy will be used.”

Falana emphasized the commitment of his law firm and labour unions to enforce compliance. “Any state government or employer of labour that does not pay the national minimum wage…we are not going to allow the non-payment of wages. They will be dragged to court. We are going to ensure the law is complied with, including…deducting what belongs to the workers monthly from the source in Abuja.”

This stance follows the federal government’s recent agreement with organized labour regarding a new national minimum wage. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had demanded N464,000 as the new minimum wage, while the government proposed N60,000. Labour had initially embarked on an indefinite strike, which was called off on Tuesday after successful negotiations.