Minimum wage caused chaos among private firms
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has lamented his inability to pay his four drivers a monthly salary of N100,000 each.
This revelation came during his address to a Christian group on Thursday, as he sought their support amid ongoing negotiations by the Tripartite Committee on the national minimum wage with the Organised Labour.
In his address, Akume stated, “I can’t afford to pay my drivers N100,000 each because they are four of them, along with other dependants. Labour initially demanded N600,000, which equates to approximately N9.9 trillion for the federal government. They asked exactly do government want then to see such money despite labour reduction to N400,000, which still amounts to over N5 trillion. They still plead for they can not meet the demands.
He further explained saying “We are exploring alternative solutions, such as housing schemes. The Federal Housing authorities are actively collecting lands across states to create housing facilities for a significant portion of the Nigerian populace.”