By Adenike Lawal
Adewale Oyerinde, Director General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), has stated that all 36 Nigerian states have no valid reasons for failing to implement the newly established N70,000 minimum wage.
The wage increase, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024, raised the minimum wage from N30,000.
Speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on January 7, 2025, Oyerinde addressed concerns from state governments about their financial ability to meet the new wage requirement.
He emphasized that the Federal Government has provided sufficient support for compliance with the law.
While many state governments initially expressed support for the wage increase, some later cited financial difficulties.
Oyerinde stressed that all levels of government must now accept and adhere to the law, declaring, “The reality now is what we should face.”
He pointed out that federal allocations to states have significantly increased, and with prudent fiscal management, no state should claim an inability to pay the mandated wage.
Oyerinde also warned that if state governors continue to resist the wage increase, labor unions like the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC), may alter their strategies to ensure compliance.
