FG can pay N100k minimum wage, states should weed out ghost workers, says SDP chairman

Shehu Gabam, the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says the federal government should not pay less than N100,000 as the minimum wage to workers.

Gabam spoke during a programme on Channels Television on Sunday.

“For me, what I think at this stage is that the government should do something above N100,000,” the SDP chairman said.

“It is reasonably okay. It makes a little bit of sense. People can breathe and people can go to work without thinking of sabotaging the institutions.

“You are paying civil servants and other private employees just N30,000. And then, when you go to the market, there is nothing of the lowest that you can get at the cost of N30,000.

“Any serious governor that can put his priorities right can pay N60,000 comfortably.”

He said if ghost workers are purged from the system, states can pay it.

The tragedy is that the majority of the problems we are having today are from the states. The governors are contributing largely to the problem.

“This government initiated this crisis by removing the fuel subsidy and naturally, they don’t need to be told that there are consequences that will follow.

“What we expected is that by the time the government made up its mind to remove the fuel subsidy and the pains that would follow thereafter, the consumption rates, the supply rates, and the demand rates of the nation, no one can stand it.”