The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association has urged state governments to raise civil servants’ pay above the current N70,000 minimum, stating that rising federal revenues remove the excuse for inaction amid a worsening cost of living.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, the group’s Director-General, Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde, argued that higher inflows to the Federation Account mean states can no longer justify retaining the N70,000 wage while citizens struggle with rising food and transport costs.

He said, “So, no state really has an excuse in the context of the current reality to stay at that N70,000, especially with people struggling with the price of petrol. While many states are still doing a lot with the CNG buses, we think more still needs to be done.

“A lot still needs to be done with the context of food security and shelter. Once you deal with that, the conversation would not really be about minimum wage because the quantum of that N70,000 will be able to buy enough for an average household. So it’s not about the quantum. It’s about what exactly the N70,000 can buy,” the NECA DG stated.

Smatt-Oyerinde emphasised that any measure aimed at reducing the pain of workers is essential to boost economy and productivity.

“While we are not directly involved in the core, the real dynamics of the state, the socio-economic challenges that they have, it is important to also state that the workers, either in the public or private sector, are very key drivers of the economy of any state and a very key driver of even the private sector.

“And whatever will improve productivity will increase motivation, especially within the context of the reforms that we are ongoing. You know, if you are hungry, or if you’re not really composed, you’re hungry, you have shelter issues, you have transport issues, hardly would you be productive at work,” Smatt-Oyerinde said.

NECA added that it was in the best interests of those state governments to see the civil service as the engine that drives the system.

“So if you see it from that perspective, you realise then it becomes important for you to address the issues that concern that engine.

“And that’s the perception of the private sector because the workers in the private sector are quite critical to productivity, critical to growth of the private sector, and that is the perception we have, that workers are important, then let’s treat them as the ILO said that workers are not commodities,” he added.

The call comes as some state governors move to increase the minimum wage for civil servants in their respective states.

President Bola Tinubu, in July 2024, signed the National Minimum Wage Act, elevating the national wage from N30,000 to N70,000.

Recently, states like Imo and Ebony have raised workers’ wages above N70,000.

The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, on August 27, approved an increase in the minimum wage from N70,000 to N104,000 to improve the welfare of workers in the state.

Twenty-four hours later, the Ebonyi State Government announced a new minimum wage of N90,000 with immediate effect for all civil and public servants, an increase of N20,000 from the previous wage of N70,000. (The PUNCH)