He described the current N18,000 minimum wage as ‘a big
insult’ to Nigerian workers, adding that the amount was not even enough to feed
a politician’s dog in a month
Sani said this on Monday when he entered the venue of the
workers’ day celebration in Abuja.
Sani said that the Nigerian workers deserved to live better
as the country was rich enough to comfortably pay them well.
According to him, “When you say N56,00, or N60,000,
sometimes all these things are tied to our foreign exchange. Nigerian workers
should have not less than $300 per month and that will be between N140,000 and
N150,000.
“I would be one of those that would push it forward. Nigeria
has the resources to do that. The amount of money that is being used to
maintain and sustain political office holders, the amount of money being wasted
on corruption, the amount of money being stolen both known and unknown are
monumental to the point that we cannot tell ourselves that such a country that
pride itself as a giant of Africa will be paying less than $20 in the name of
minimum wage.
“N18,000 or N20,000 minimum wage is an insult to Nigerian
workers because it cannot sustain even a dog or security man in the house of a
politician.
“So, as far as I am concerned, I believe the only way to be
fair and just is not just to peg it but rather make it a government policy.
Public and private working places should maintain that especially you
journalists that have no salary.
“I think there should be a law that should peg a minimum
wage and take it to the dollar and that will be the best way which workers will
be able to sustain themselves and their family.”
By John Owen Nwachukwu
