Former campaign spokesperson of President Bola Tinubu in the southeast, Dr Josef Onoh, stated on Tuesday that it was unfair for the state governors to oppose the federal government’s proposed N62,000 new minimum wage for workers.
He also chided the five governors of the southeast region, for allegedly failing to tap into the federal government’s policies, stressing that it was responsible for the level of hardship in the region.
Explaining that the figure was properly thought-out after wider consultations, Onoh insisted that every state government in the country had earned improved allocation since the removal of fuel subsidy, stressing that the money was evenly shared.
Speaking to reporters in Enugu, Onoh stated that the attempt to push back the responsibility on the federal government would not only increase her burden but would impoverish the people.
“If they put the burden of salary so much on the government, they will overburden the federal government; they will cause a lot of redundancy. For the state governors to say that they cannot pay the N62,000 minimum wage as proposed by the federal government is actually unfair because the federal government is actually saddled with a lot of things, and what the state governments need to do is tap into the federal government’s policies to serve the needs of their people.
“The federal government is working to bring down inflation, stabilise the economy, promote transportation, and provide security among several others. Attempting to push back the new minimum wage on the federal government is like saying we are not receiving allocation and internally generated revenues.
“If you calculate all the allocation these state governments have collected, they will be enough to cater for the N62.000 minimum wage. Let them look at the present situation of the country, where the federal government is working to bring down inflation, stabilise the economy and what have you.
“If the private sector cannot sustain the minimum wage, it means businesses will collapse and when businesses collapse we are back to square zero. Edo, Rivers and Lagos states have taking up the initiative to pay, so I don’t know why others think that they need special allocation to accept to pay”, he said
Turning to the Southeast governors, Onoh said that they have failed to tap into the federal government’s policies, stressing that they should look inward and open up farmlands for agriculture to provide food and jobs for the teeming population.
He said that President Tinubu was committed to his campaign promises, stressing that one year was inadequate to judge the performance of his administration.
