The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has lamented his inability to pay his four drivers a monthly salary of N100,000 each.
This revelation came during his address to a Christian group on Thursday, as he sought their support amid ongoing negotiations by the Tripartite Committee on the national minimum wage with the Organised Labour.
In his address, Akume stated, “I can’t afford to pay my drivers N100,000 each because they are four of them, along with other dependants. Labour initially demanded N600,000, which equates to approximately N9.9 trillion for the federal government. Where do we get that money from? Then labour reduced it to N400,000, which still amounts to over N5 trillion. We are asking for understanding because we simply cannot meet these demands.
He further explained, “We are exploring alternative solutions, such as housing schemes. The Federal Housing authorities are actively collecting lands across states to create housing facilities for a significant portion of the Nigerian populace.”
LEADERSHIP recalls that the organised labour and the Federal Government have been in prolonged negotiations. On Monday, labour declared an indefinite strike after their demands were not met. The strike, which disrupted various sectors of the economy, including airports and electricity, was called off on Tuesday as both parties resumed negotiations.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, was being awaited to submit the minimum wage template to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.
