Comrade Timi Frank, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to reject any minimum wage proposal from the federal government that falls below N250,000.
In a statement released on Friday in Abuja, Frank accused the administration led by President Bola Tinubu of exhibiting double standards in salary determination.
He argued that if substantial salary increases are deemed appropriate for judicial officials, the same should apply to Nigerian workers.
Frank highlighted the swift passage of a bill in both chambers of the national assembly that proposes a 300 percent salary increase for judges.
He questioned why similar urgency is not applied to improving the minimum wage for workers, which has stagnated at N30,000 for the past five years.
He pointed out the disparity, stating, “How can you increase the salary of a branch of government already receiving significant compensation by 300 percent, while offering only minimal increases to workers struggling with the current minimum wage?”
Frank criticized the President for sending an Executive Bill to the National Assembly for a substantial pay raise for judicial office holders, while setting up a tripartite committee to negotiate what he termed a “starvation wage” for workers.
He referenced NLC President Joe Ajaero’s term to underscore his point and contrasted it with the “living wage” promised by President Tinubu upon taking office in May last year.
According to Frank, given the severe socio-economic conditions in the country, a minimum wage below N250,000 is inadequate for Nigerian workers.
He called for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to reduce their own salaries and allowances to support workers who struggle to afford even basic necessities.
He criticized the current high compensation for government officials as economically, financially, and socially oppressive to workers.
Frank concluded by urging the leadership of organized labor to stand firm in their demands, ensuring that workers receive a fair and livable wage at this critical point in the nation’s development.
