It Seems that in Nigeria, the poor get poorer and
the rich only become more rich and gain more privilege.
No doubt the continuous plunge of our crude oil price in the
international market and the increasing exchange rate of
naira against the dollar have automatically affected
fundamentally the monthly allocations to the states such
that the states no longer get up to the amount they used to.
Of course, the problem is Nigeria’s almost sole dependence
on oil. The other problems at the root of this situation is the
existence of unviable states and the non-federal, or what
some people now call faulty federal system and structure in
Nigeria. These are the problems we are very familiar with
and conceivably well-acquainted with the consequences of
continuing to manage a problem that is better solved from
the basis.

That said, the problem has perhaps gone out of control
following the fall of crude oil price which has trimmed down
Nigeria’s income and the allocations to states. The natural, I
mean, the obvious thing to do is to make amends. Right
now, it will be impossible to attempt to solve the root
causes, particularly, restructuring our federal construction
as penance to the shortage of funds because, possibly, it
will take years to be fully addressed and implemented
therefore it will not yield immediate result which is of
essence. So any amend in this direction will take us deeper
into more troubling situations before eventually solving the
problem.

What other option do we have? The situation calls for
sacrificial amends and rightly so. We all understand the
situation and we have to make sacrifice for the continuous
existence and well-being of our states. But, is the indirect
call by the governors on workers to sacrifice part of their
(minimum) wage in good conscience? Is that option even
moral or correct from any and all viewpoints?

Who should make sacrifices, governors or workers?

Before the minimum wage was reviewed upwards, it took
Nigerian labour unions years of protest and strikes. There
grew an accepted enmity between the government and the
unions. It was like a real war. Then, eventually, it ended in
the favour of the workers.
From thence, some governors have shown much concern
explaining the inability of their respective states to meet up
with the pay while others accepted it. Some governors made
some reforms according to agreement with their state
labour unions, in which while the minimum wage was not
strictly adhered to, the prevailing minimum wage was
however reviewed upwards.
We can deduce therefore that not all states in Nigeria
adhere strictly to the minimum wage review. The point here
is that at no time have all or even most governors agreed to
pay or comply with the ₦18,000 minimum wage.

Surviving on ₦600 a day

Now, to the contentious minimum wage, which is but
₦18,000, an amount that when divided by thirty days
amounts to ₦600 per day. That amount is, to say the least,
not enough for a full-grown adult to take care of self and
meet daily needs. To think that some families depend on
that same amount to make ends meet leaves one trying to
solve the puzzle on how they do it. What other sacrifice
does one expect of people living in this condition? So in a
way, it is clearly a kind of inhumanity against fellow man to
keep placing a demand on him to make all the sacrifices.
That is against fairness and natural justice.
Nigerian governors are some of the wealthiest Nigerians for
several reasons, specifically because of the funds they
control in their respective states. State governors live
profoundly extravagant lives regardless of unfavourable
economic trend. All Nigerian state governors have security
votes running into tens of millions, sometimes hundreds of
millions, the dwindled allocation does not affect that.
Our governors move in convoys of numerous cars, the
majority of which are very expensive sports utility vehicles.
Nigerian governors do not pay house rent as they live in
government lodges or are accommodated at the expence of
the state. No governor in Nigeria fuels the cars he uses with
his own money. The generators in the government lodges,
feeding and all other expenses are run with state funds.
They receive allowances for virtually everything, including
recharge cards for phone calls.
In other words, our governors are the true beneficiaries of
government subsidies. Even though this is elegantly
illogical, it is the reality. In Nigeria, for some reasons, the
rich, affluent government officials who do not need any
form of subsidy are the ones who have everything
subsidized or, more succinctly put, given to them for free
and… wait for it… as a right!
This is not just about governors living in lodges and not
paying rent, but about certain pattern — the perception of
the weaker members of the society, in this case the
workers, as the ones who should make sacrifices and
continue to. Can’t our governors lead by example? Can’t
they put their security votes on the table? Can’t they
surrender all those jumbo allowances? Can’t they reduce the
number of cars in their convoys to, say, three and save
serious costs? Can’t they ensure more probity with the
funds in their coffers? Can’t our governors also source for
ways to increase their internally generated revenue?
That is exactly where we should start from! By looking in
the right direction and doing the needful. You will agree with
me that before it gets to the point of workers surrendering
their diminutive take home, the situation would have been
firmly rounded up.

https://www.naij.com/651758-minimum-wage-make-sacrifices-governors-workers.html

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I no wan curse d mod wen ban me for 4 good days witout reason! because if I do,...