It is no news that the Nigerian economy is nothing to write home about. The rate of inflation is inconsiderately high and the standard of leaving has completely deteriorated. There is increase in price but salaries still remain stagnant. Workers are expected to use the same salary they have been earning all these years to go through this period of hardship.
I do believe in my own knowledge that, the labour Congress need not have even gone on strike and demanded for an increase in the minimum wage, if Nigeria as a country had a Government and system that genuinely cares about the welfare of the citizens.
Apart from the fact that there is increase in prices of food stuff, clothes, shelter and health care, the price of school fees is unnecessarily and obnoxiously high. Now when I say school fees, I don’t even mean private school, one would not even want to begin to talk of that, I mean Government schools, Federal Government schools, Universities to be very precise.
Government schools used to be one for everyone, the poor, the average and the rich, but it will amaze you to find out that, a lot of people can no longer afford to go to government schools. If people are not able to afford government schools then what is the hope of the common man.
Nigerians can no longer feed, have no roof over their heads and cannot got to school with the money they are paid. Workers are expected to keep the same amount to live their lives.
If there is no current solution to the bad state of the currency and the economy, why not increase the money that workers earn.
And then there is the fact that, 62,000 naira is being proposed, in the words of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “is it for Eba?”, in this economy, amidst this hardship and hunger? I do not think that is enough. For me, I agree with the labour union that the minimum wage should not be anything less than 6 figures but then again I also agree with the president that we should give what we can afford so that it will not cause more harm to the economy but that does not mean that a measly some should be set as minimum wage.
I do hope that the Federal Government and the national assembly will hasten the processes and answer the Labour unions, set a new sufficient amount so that everything will be settled.