•Says FG can afford to pay much more than current minimum wage

By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

A former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in South Africa, Mr Bola Babarinde, says Nigeria can pay much as minimum wage if the country eliminates wastages and corruption in governance.

Babarinde, also the Deputy Director of Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Campaign Council, Diaspora Directorate, equally said that any meaningful minimum wage in present-day Nigeria could be up to N200,000 due to economic realities.

He made the assertions In a statement on Tuesday in reaction to President Bola Tinubu’s New Year Day broadcast on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu had said that the Federal Government would implement a new national living wage in 2024.

The president said that the decision made good economic sense and was the morally and politically right.

Babarinde said that a living wage would encourage workers to put in their best as well as reduce stealing and other misconducts in public service.

“A living wage should reflect intention to improve the welfare of the Nigerian working class,” he said.

He said that Tinubu came into power with some measures to reposition the economy and give succour to Nigerians.

He noted that the ordinary Nigerians were, however, suffering because `building can be more difficult to achieve than destroying’.

“We should not expect a system that had been damaged for decades to be repaired and turned around in a jiffy.

“Sustainable development takes time,” he said.

On Tinubu’s travels to attract investments, the APC chieftain said that it was well-intended but advised that the Federal Government should look inwards.

“This is the time to ask our universities, colleges of technology and technical schools to give us the Nigeria of our dream by helping with ideas on refining homegrown technologies for industrial and economic self-reliance.

“We must be serious about ease of doing business among our African countries and reduce obstacles in communication and transportation within our countries.

“Reduction of airfare and cost of telecommunications between ECOWAS nations should boost local trade which will definitely help economies of those nations,” he said.

He advised Nigerian leaders to make sacrifices for the nation, saying that financial recklessness must be avoided through fiscal discipline.

Babarinde urged Tinubu to leverage the network, experience and expertise of Nigerians in the Diaspora in actualising the renewed hope agenda of his administration. (NAN, excluding headline)

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