The Association of Senior Civil Servants organised a protest in Lagos yesterday to demand a minimum wage of N46,000 for workers. The union has asserted that the current minimum wage of N18,000 is insufficient to deal with the current economic realities.
Secretary-General of the union Mr. Bashir Lawal revealed yesterday that after a meeting with the National Public Service Joint Negotiating Council,they arrived at the figure of N46,000.
It is important to point out that as of today, there are still a number of states which cannot afford to pay the current minimum wage. As it stands, 18 of Nigeria’s 36 states cannot pay the salaries of civil servants. Regardless, Mr. Bashir Lawal insisted “If the government believes that the amount will create crisis, we will tell them what to do to ensure that everybody will be carried along.”