Match Workers' Wages, Cut Your Salary To ₦60,000 - NNPP's Oguntoyinbo To Governors

Ambassador Oguntoyinbo urges Nigerian governors to reduce their own salaries.
He criticizes the governors’ stance as “insensitive” and praises Edo State Governor Dr. Godwin Obaseki for independently setting a ₦70,000 minimum wage in his state.
Ajadi calls for the fair distribution of increased federal allocations to states and emphasizes the inadequacy of ₦60,000 in the current economy.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, a prominent member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has urged governors across Nigeria to reduce their own salaries as a gesture of solidarity with common workers.

This appeal follows the state governors’ collective rejection of the federal government’s proposed ₦60,000 new monthly minimum wage.

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The rejection was communicated by Halima Ahmed, Acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Relations of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), who stated that implementing such a wage would financially cripple many states, forcing them to use their entire monthly allocations from the Federation Account solely on salaries.

Speaking from Ibadan, Oyo State, Ajadi criticized the governors’ stance as “insensitive” and “wicked,” highlighting the disparity between their salaries and the proposed wage for workers.

He noted that labor unions had not yet accepted the government’s proposal, suggesting the governors’ rejection was premature.

Ajadi praised Edo State Governor Dr. Godwin Obaseki for independently initiating a ₦70,000 monthly minimum wage in his state. He urged other governors to follow Obaseki’s lead, not only in adjusting wages but also in reducing their own salaries.

His statement reads: “I am totally shocked that the governors could come out to say that they cannot pay the proposed ₦60,000 minimum wage.

That pronouncement by the governors shows that they are insensitive to the plight of workers and the masses. I see it as a wicked pronouncement.”

“In the first instance, they were too hasty in their reactions, as the Labour Unions have not even agreed to the proposal. If the governors are serving the people as they usually claim, they should cut their own salaries to ₦60,000 too.

“I will also suggest that the governors should be paid according to their qualifications. They should realise that the workers attend the same market their wives and children attended.

“Since the removal of subsidy, the Federal Government has jacked up the monthly allocation to the states. What are the governors doing with the money. Part of the money should be used to pay the new minimum wage when agreed by the tripartite committee. President Bola Tinubu has severally warned the governors to make use of the increase in the monthly allocations to better the lots of their citizens.

“So one is shocked that the governors have the effrontery to reject a merely N60,000 proposal.