Governors elected under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed their approval of the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Local Government autonomy nationwide.
On July 11, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds intended for Local Government (LG) administrations.
The court also prohibited governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils, citing such actions as violations of the 1999 Constitution.
A week following this significant decision, PDP governors endorsed the Supreme Court’s ruling. However, they emphasized the need for careful implementation of the judgment.
The governors conveyed their stance during a forum held at the Enugu State Government House on Wednesday.
According to a communique issued at the end of the meeting by its Chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed, the Forum said it “Will continue to support the autonomy of the Local Governments as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The governor said the Forum “believes in the efficacy of the local government system which ensures that governance is brought closer to the people as provided for in the constitution, adding that it “holds the Supreme Court in the highest esteem, and is committed to obedience to court orders.
“However, the Forum urges that implementation of the court decision must be done in a manner that does not create a trust deficit between the federal governments and sub-national governments while also ensuring that the system does not suffer.”
Minimum Wage
The governors from the opposition further commented on the organized labor’s call for an increase in the national minimum wage, acknowledging that the unions’ request for higher salaries is “thoroughly justified” given the worsening economic challenges in the nation.
However, they cautioned that any final agreement on the new minimum wage must be practical and consider the financial capabilities of all levels of government.
“While the Forum fully supports labour’s demand, agreement must take into consideration the ability to pay by the local government, sub-national and federal government,” the communiqué reads.
“While negotiations are ongoing, we appeal for restraint in both utterances and actions that could lead to the complete breakdown of law and order and ultimately, the collapse of the economy.”
Deliberations
Recently, discussions on a new minimum wage have involved labor unions, federal and state governments, and the private sector.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) proposed N494,000 as the new minimum wage, citing inflation and the current economic challenges in the country.
They rejected the federal government’s offer of N60,000. To emphasize their demands, labor unions staged an economic shutdown on June 3 due to the minimum wage dispute.
However, on June 7, state governors, represented by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), expressed concerns that a N60,000 minimum wage would not be sustainable.
During the latest meeting of the tripartite committee, organized labor turned down the government’s N62,000 proposal and adjusted their demand to N250,000.
While labor insisted on N250,000 as the minimum wage, the federal government urged them to consider a more feasible and sustainable figure.
President Bola Tinubu instructed Wale Edun, the finance minister, to provide the financial implications of a new minimum wage.