Anambra State N70, 000 minimum wage is a law Soludo has no right to break
By Invitation: Ifeanyi Chijioke
          Background
When the Nigerian Labour Congress demanded minimum wage increment, it was done collectively, which included workers in Anambra State and elsewhere. The increment is a national matter and not unique to any state.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo can not rightly announce or object to the constitutional order for a new mimimum wage to be implemented. The governor has no right to come back to Anambra State and say that he is considering further negotiation with the state Labour Congress. Negotiation collectively ended with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the dot ends with him.
As soon as the new minimum wage was signed into law, there was no option for the state governments if not to obey the law of the land. State government is subject of the federal government, and according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the centre controls the states. The signing into law of the new minimum wage is not a choice for any state of the federation.
Sometimes, due to corruption, there tends to be a divide of the workforce into federal and state. Sadly, when it comes to payment to the workforce of the country, the country practices true federalism, but when it’s about politics, federalism becomes centralism. It’s sheer wickedness from political leaders who now see the working class as slaves.
I have seen opinion writes where workers in Anambra State are pleading to the governor to consider respecting the minimum wage signed into law by the administration of President Bola Amed Tinubu, but the move is a wrong one that gives the governor the impression that the workforce in the state is toothless. The governor should not be pleaded to respect the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If he breaks the law, he should face the consequences through civil action.
   Constitutional Right of Workers
It’s the right of Anambra State workers to get their minimum wage implemented without delay or threat of any kind. This right doesn’t need massaging or plea; rather, it needs the law if not adhered to. pleading to the governor to implement the minimum wage gives him a dictatorial impression, which could be damning to the state going forward.
The court is there to listen to matters like this or interpret what the law says about not respecting a constitutionally signed law. The government of Mr Chukwuma Soludo can not rightly be pleaded to, the government should rather face the anger of the workforce of the state. The government should be rightly shown that the law is not a choice.
What helps this kind of situation is the corruption within the state labour congress. Often, the state Labour Congress leader is bought through bribery and corruption, leaving the congress toothless and without a voice of its own. By cornering the Labour Congress, the state government can take the workforce for granted and decide against the law to withhold and pay less than what is legally stipulated.
A state governor is not superior to a president, and if the president is the superior of the state governor, why should Soludo be delaying implementation of the new minimum wage? Should the workforce of Anambra State be kneeling down for the governor to do what is constitutionally right?
Governor Chukwuma Soludo can not rightly be bringing bad names to the administration of President Bola Amed Tinubu, who found it right to sign into law the increment of wage in the country. The state has no right to complain about what was agreed in the country, and the governor should rather think about resigning if he can not fulfil its end of a lawful bargain.
The economy of the country has led to scathing hardship that has affected the working class, and being that the monthly salary of workers cannot afford a bag of rice for them is even a more reason to clamp down on the government of Mr Chukwuma Soludo, if he continues to try to alter the agreed amount.
     Negative Impact
Anambra State has been claimed to be in the safe hands of Professor Chukwuma Soludo, but where did the claim come from if the governor could not pay the workers. The barest minimum of a decent or well managed state is its ability to pay its workers. Soludo and his cohorts should not make noise in the state if paying workers in the state is a herculean job for them.
It doesn’t matter what Soludo does in the state, whether he builds roads for the rich or does anything for the rich, payment of the minimum wage is the greatest means he could touch the lives of Anambra State families and those that voted him into power.
Failure to pay the new mimimun wage is supposed to be a threat to the governor’s second term bid, because if he cannot pay dedicated workers of the state, I don’t think he can do anything for the state. I understand the power of propaganda and media, which he has seized to sing his praises, but inability to pay workers should be an eye opener that the governor failed woefully.
President Bola Amed Tinubu must understand that Chukwuma Soludo’s inability or insensitive decision to delay and dilly-dally in the implementation of the new minimum wage is bringing reproach to his administration and there should not be further delay in diplomatically reining on him to implement the new minimum wage.
The federal government must understand that if Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his cohorts in other states fail to pay the new minimum wage, it is a direct rebellion against the federal government. The move practically puts the government in a bad corner, where its understanding of the basic needs of the country’s workforce is jeopardized by state governments.
Conclusion
Governor Chukwuma Soludo should do everything within his power to implement the minimum wage signed into law, because his dishonest move to renegotiate to evade a matter that has been constitutionally resolved is further promoting corruption and disorganizing the country. Minimum wage has been signed into law, and nobody needs to beg the governor to abide by the law of the land.
If he fails to implement the new minimum wage, there are legal ways the matter can be addressed, but lying on the floor and begging the governor to abide by the law of the land is a weak gesture that will promote illegality and concealed dictatorship.
