Adewole Adebayo, a lawyer and presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 Nigerian election, recently shared his perspective on the contentious issue of minimum wage for Nigerian workers. His remarks come in the wake of the Bola Tinubu administration's announcement on May 1st of a 25% and 35% increase in workers' salaries, citing recent inflation in the country. However, the absence of a new minimum wage announcement by the government has stirred mixed reactions, particularly from labour unions who expected such a declaration.
During an interview on Arise TV, Adebayo weighed in on the minimum wage debate, drawing attention to the disparity between the wages of ordinary workers and those of top government officials. He pointed out the significant salary disparity by highlighting the comparatively modest annual income of the president, which stands at 14 million naira. Adebayo questioned the feasibility of the president's lifestyle being sustained solely by his official salary, suggesting that other benefits may be covering his expenses.
Adebayo emphasized the discrepancy between the perceived living standards of government officials, particularly the president, and the realities faced by ordinary workers surviving on their wages. He raised the question of whether it would be practical to extend the same benefits enjoyed by high-ranking officials to all workers at the grassroots level.
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Hear him: "Even the president earning 14 million naira per annum, if you look at the president (Tinubu) he doesn't look like someone surviving on his salary. Though he's not paying for anything, now if he's not any paying for anything, then you start thinking why don't we do that for everyone at the micro level."