Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), a legal expert and former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) under President Muhammadu Buhari, voiced skepticism about the sincerity of the Joe Ajaero-led group's call for an increased minimum wage, during an interview with THE SUN. He argued that suggesting a minimum wage of N615,000 was impractical, questioning its feasibility within Nigeria's economic framework. Sagay noted that such a demand would result in an unrealistic wage disparity between lower-level and higher-level employees.
He said, “I don’t think the Joe Ajaero-led group is serious with such demand. If they are serious they should not have proposed N615,000 as minimum wage, which was the first figure that they mentioned. So, the cleaner in an office will be earning N615,000, what will the permanent secretary earn? Maybe N10 million. People should be serious when they are holding important positions. Honestly, given Nigeria’s peculiar economic situation, I don’t see a minimum wage up to N100,000. The reason is because if they institute that N100,000, the states cannot pay, and the private sector cannot pay.”
He contended that setting a minimum wage at N100,000 would be impractical, as it would be difficult for both state governments and the private sector to manage. Sagay suggested prioritizing the improvement of economic conditions to enhance the value of current wages instead of establishing an unrealistic wage level. He emphasized that reducing living costs, including transportation and food expenses, would be more advantageous. He cautioned that setting unachievable wage demands could cause hyperinflation and economic harm, noting that some state governments are still paying wages below the proposed minimum.
“You will see that if N100,000 is imposed, state governments will not pay. Up till today I understand that there are state governments that are still paying N18,000, they are not even paying N30,000. So, what is the point? People should be realistic. Government should be asked to improve conditions of living, bring down prices so that whatever you are paid will go far. That should be the approach,” he said.