Of minimum wage and First Sons

By now, most state government workers have heard the bad news that followed the good news about the N30,000 minimum wage. Here I mean the bad news that 95% of states cannot afford to pay the new figure. As painful as it is to accept, this isn’t quite unexpected. Many states were unable to pay the old minimum wage for years.

According to Governor Umahi of Ebonyi state, who was the bearer of 95% inability bad news, it will take his state a 100% of it’s federal allocation to be able to pay workers the new rate. And he has no intention of sacrificing every kobo of his state’s funds on workers.

Also kicking against the new, improved wage, Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna state declared that states should be allowed to decide their own minimum wage based on their resources. He argued that the Federal rate should not be binding on states.

Other governors too had wondered how to survive if they accept the Federal government’s new welfare package. As it is, only 5% percent of them believe it is possible to pay the N30,000 to their lowest-paid employees and still survive.

However, I am completely in league with those few who believe that the reality of the times means workers cannot make ends meet on less than N30,000 a month. The truth of the matter is that other governors can do the same too. It’s just that it would mean them having to adjust their lavish lifestyles in order to make their employees happy; a sacrifice they are not willing to even contemplate.

But we are living witnesses to the extravagance that characterizes the lives of our political office holders, particularly state governors, federal legislators and cabinet ministers.

And we all know that if they could reduce that self-aggrandisement by just 50%, there will be enough savings to afford the minimum wage and also do more. Just look at the kind of flamboyance their children and other family members display and you know that we have the worst case of misplaced priorities on the globe.

Their children have to ride the best cars, wear the best clothes, live in grand houses, attend superlative schools, all because their fathers are holding certain public offices and have personalised the resources of the state, or the federal ministry in question.

A typical example are the photos of the son of a South-South governor making rounds on social media lately. In one photo, a grand car has the special number ‘1st Son’ in addition to the name of the city where he  lives. The second photo shows an SUV with the same ‘1st Son’ numbering and indeed the 1st son himself posing near it. Now ask where this particular First Son got his classy cars from, and you’ll definitely be told that it was Daddy’s doing.

So how can a governor state pay salaries, provide or maintain needed infrastructure, equip hospitals and schools, when his first priority is to be sure that his family lives above every other family in the state?

For sure, the furore against the new minimum wage is caused not by the lack of funds to do it but by a serious lack of political will. In a piece that went viral early this week, The Economist (I don’t know whether it is the international magazine or it’s local namesakes) outlined the steps governments need to take to make the most enviable minimum wage possible in Nigeria. I hereby reproduce the piece below, enjoy:

THE Economist VIEW on MINIMUM WAGE!

1. Abolish SECURITY VOTE in states. Nigeria will pay N45,000 minimum wage comfortably.
2. a) Abolish CONSTITUENCY PROJECT FUNDS
3. b) Reduce no of ADVISERS to SENATE president (to 2), HOUSE SPEAKER (to 2), GOVs (to 4), PRESIDENT(to 5), VP (to 2)
4. c) Reduce current Political Office Holders PAY CHEQUES by 51.5%, without exception
5. d) Do away with special remuneration to POLITICAL ADVISERS & PUBLIC SERVANTS eg; Purchase of Private Vehicles, Houses, granting Govt paid Vacations, paying for 1st & Business Class Transportations, etc
6. e) Abolish payment of OVERSEAS MEDICAL BILLS for Political Office Holders
7. f) Eliminate PRIVATE PRACTICE in public workforce
8. g) Eliminate participation of Public Workforce in Partisan Politics
9. h) Institute EMPLOYMENT BY MERIT, and eliminate UNDER-EMPLOYMENT
10. i) Review and eliminate allocation of Govt paid political aides to office holders

With (1) + (2) Nigeria would pay a minimum wage of N65,000 comfortably

3. Move Nigeria MORE to Private Sector Driven Economy
4. a) Privatise ALL of Federal Govt PARASTATALS & reduce Federal Direct Funded AGENCIES to 68% of the present.
5. b) Privatise ALL of STATE Govt PARASTATALS & reduce State Direct Funded AGENCIES to 19% of the present.
6. c) Reduce current DIRECT LABOUR JOB participation by 49%
7. d) Encourage more Working Hours until Nigerian economy stabilizes
8. e) Discourage UNIONISM in Public Workforce

With (1) + (2) + (3), Nigeria would pay a minimum wage of N101,500 comfortably.

4) Institute DEATH PENALTY to proven THEFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS no matter how little, and LIFE Jail Sentences for COLLABORATORS.

With (1) + (2) + (3) & (4), Nigeria would pay a minimum wage of N203,500 comfortably.