Victor Ezeja
Reactions from Nigerians over a leaked memo requesting approval of N1 billion for the inauguration of a tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage have electrified social media.
A document circulating on social media showed a leaked memo signed by the Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), George Akume, requesting President Bola Tinubu to approve the sum of N1 billion for the inauguration of a tripartite committee on new National minimum wage.
A part of the memo where the president signed, dated 22 January 2024 shows that N500 million was finally approved for a start for the committee.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe committee was inaugurated on 26 January in Abuja.
Reacting to that, a former lawmaker and human rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, wrote on his official X handle: “The Minimum wage committee just allocated the maximum wage for themselves.”
A good number of other Nigerians also took to social media to condemn the fund allocation which they considered too big to be spent on just the committee work, looking at the level of economic hardship ravaging citizens across the country.
An X user who goes by the name Naija Guy wrote: “Amidst the worsening hunger crisis and hardship in Nigeria occasioned by eight months of Tinubu’s brutal and anti-people’s policies, he has approved 500m naira for a tripartite committee on minimum wage after the committee requested for N1bn.”
Another X user with the name Kagha Uchenna wrote: “Allocated the maximum wage for themselves just organize themselves to sit in a roundtable and deliberate on the minimum wage of common Nigerians. What a country.”
“Poor man will continue to suffer while they use them to upgrade themselves,” another user lamented.
“While Minimum wagee dey cry and maximum wagers dey smile,” Olamide.
While Femi Obaf (@OBAF4U), sounded sarcastic saying: “It’s cash out season for the boys,” Chukwuemeka007 queried why such an amount was approved: “What a country! How much will be negotiated as a minimum wage that such a humongous amount is allocated for members to sit.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
