BY DAPO  AKINREFON
LAGOS— Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has said that there was no documentation between the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Governors’ Forum on an agreement to pay N18,000 minimum wage to workers.

He, however, affirmed that the state governments would pay the new minimum wage as it has been passed into law.

Amaechi, who is Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, affirmed that though Rivers State was already paying N17,000 as minimum wage, other states would be able to pay the new minimum wage only with an upward review of the revenue formula of the federation.

Amaechi spoke as a guest on Sunrise Daily, an interview programme on Channels Television where he argued that the NLC had no right to arm twist the governors into agreeing to pay the minimum wage.

“Why should the NLC in Rivers State tell me ‘we met at Abuja, the Federal Government and us, have agreed on the wage to be paid.’ In law, if you are not party to a contract, you are not bound by that contract. They should please produce the document. They have to bring the document(s) where we signed.”

The Rivers State governor argued that the monthly allocation given to states is not enough to pay for the wage, noting that labour is not being fair to the governors.

He further argued that though the state governors are bound by law to pay the minimum wage, only a review of the revenue formula would afford state governments the opportunity to pay.

On what the solutions are, he said: “We think the workers will get their N18,000, we think the Federal Government will give fiscal federalism, in the short term; we can make do with a review of the revenue formula that gives more money to state governors. We are looking at 40 per cent.”

Amaechi, who is also chairman of the Governors’ Forum, said if a review of the revenue formula is carried out, state governments will be willing to do more for their workers.

According to him, “If we get that, we will be very willing to pay because then, you will have more money to develop the state and also have money to pay workers. Rivers state is not the problem, we are currently paying about N17,000. You can ask workers in Rivers state.”