BUSINESS HALLMARK
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has warned that the Federal Government may not be able to pay workers’ salaries beyond June without massively printing money or removing petrol subsidy.
President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 affirmed that the costly petrol subsidy would end by 2023.
Speaking on Monday at the Workers’ Day celebration in Benin, the Edo State capital, Obaseki said Nigerians, and workers in particular, would face hardship if the government decides on any of the options.
“It would be a miracle for the federal government and state governments to pay salaries beyond June this year without resorting to massively printing money or removing fuel subsidy. Either of these decisions will bring more hardship and pain to Nigerians, particularly workers.
“We must all make sure that the burden and pain of these measures, which must be taken, are not carried by workers alone.
“Workers must now rise and ensure that they champion any discussion on subsidy removal. You must shift from the tradition of reacting when these policies have been made but insist that you take charge and ensure full transparency and disclosure.
“If we are all undertaking a reform, then the benefits and pains that will come out of the reforms must be mutually shared by all Nigerians, not just the downtrodden”, the governor stated.
Obaseki also said that when the Edo State government announced the increment of the minimum wage to N40,000 in 2022, he expected the federal government and other state governments to follow suit immediately.
“My promise to Edo workers here today is that the day the federal government is able to pay its new minimum wage and hand over a cheque to any federal worker, that day, we will match the federal government and do the same for state workers.
