Nigeria can pay higher minimum wage, Lamido asserts 

By Innocent Raphael 

Former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has declared that Nigeria possesses sufficient wealth to support any proposed national minimum wage. 

This declaration comes amidst ongoing debates over the appropriate wage floor for Nigerian workers.

Lamido’s comments were made during an appearance on Channels Television, where he criticized the government’s allocation of funds for large-scale projects without legislative approval. 

He specifically pointed to the approximately N17 trillion budgeted for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which was reportedly undertaken without the necessary oversight from the National Assembly.

“If the government can embark on an N17 trillion project that is not in the budget, not advertised, not tendered for, or did not go through due process, it means that Nigeria has the money.

“Nigeria is very rich with resources and can overcome any problem and pay any amount we feel is responsible for Nigerians,” Lamido stated.

Recall that the current minimum wage negotiations have seen organized labour rejecting the government’s proposal of N62,000. Initially, labour unions demanded N494,000, later reducing their request to N250,000.

 However, state governors have declared their inability to meet even the N62,000 proposal put forward by the Federal Government.