Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi announced that his government will negotiate a new minimum wage for workers in the state. This statement comes amidst ongoing national negotiations between labour unions and the Federal Government over a new minimum wage.
What They Are saying
Despite the Federal Government offering N62,000, which labour unions have already rejected, Governor Namadi insists that whatever figure is decided at the national level, his state will engage in its own negotiations. “We cannot say what we can offer because it is a matter of negotiation,” he declared during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The governor explained that Jigawa has yet to agree on any figure since they haven’t even begun negotiations. “We put up a tripartite committee including the labour and stakeholders, and we work together to agree on a figure,” he said, suggesting that this has been the standard practice in the state.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sharply criticized the idea that states should independently determine their minimum wage. “This notion is not only dictatorial but also undermines the very essence as well as the model adopted for creating a national minimum wage in Nigeria,” the NLC said in a statement issued by its Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah.
Why It Matters
For months, labour unions, the government, and the private sector have been locked in intense negotiations over a new minimum wage. The tripartite committee proposed N62,000, but organized labour is holding out for N265,000, arguing that anything less fails to meet the basic living standards for workers.
Bottom Line
The governor of Jigawa, Umar Namadi, seems to be adding another layer of complexity to an already tangled issue. His statement that Jigawa will negotiate its own minimum wage, regardless of the national decision, exemplifies why many view labour negotiations as a never-ending circus. Instead of providing clarity or solidarity, this approach risks fragmenting the efforts to achieve a fair and uniform wage standard across the country. It’s almost laughable—if it weren’t so serious—that in the middle of a critical national negotiation, a state governor suggests they might just do their own thing. This is precisely why labour unions struggle to be taken seriously; the goalposts are constantly moving, and the players seem more interested in their own rules than a fair game.
