AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the governor of Kwara State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to raise Nigeria’s minimum wage to N100,000, arguing that states are now in a stronger financial position following the removal of fuel subsidy.
The Kwara governor spoke on Friday when governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress paid an Eid-el-Kabir visit to the president in Lagos.
AbdulRazaq said only a few politicians would have had the courage to implement the subsidy removal policy.
“Only one percent of politicians, in my opinion, would take the decisions you took,” he said.
The governor recalled that many governors initially opposed the policy and considered persuading Tinubu to reconsider it.
“I remember when we were in China when I got a call from the National Security Adviser and the DSS saying that all subsidy would be removed and there was no going back,” he said.
“We went into panic mode.”
According to him, some governors held discussions on how to convince the president to abandon the plan.
“We decided to book an appointment to see Mr President to let him know that this cannot work,” he said.
“But Mr President invited us for dinner. We sat down and listened to his vision for Nigeria and, at the end of the day, we couldn’t even bring up the topic.”
AbdulRazaq said governors anticipated nationwide unrest after the announcement and took precautionary measures.
“We advised each other to call state security council meetings because we were expecting serious riots,” he said.
“Lo and behold, on that day, nothing happened. There were no riots and no protests anywhere.”
The governor said states have benefited significantly from the policy through increased revenue allocations.
“Today, we’ve benefited immensely from that policy,” he said.
“In my state, after paying salaries, we were left with about N100 million or N200 million, and it cost about N100 million to build one kilometre of road.”
He said many states previously relied on borrowing to fund projects but are now reducing their debt burdens.
“Today, states are not going to borrow money. They are not issuing bonds,” he said.
“In fact, we are reducing our debt burden.”
AbdulRazaq said the improved financial situation makes a review of the minimum wage possible.
“Most states are paying almost N100,000 today and I urge Your Excellency to let us have a discussion on moving the minimum wage to a minimum of N100,000,” he said.
The governor also praised Tinubu’s infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, the Sokoto-Badagry road and the AKK gas pipeline project.
He said development is taking place across the country because of the administration’s reforms.
“There’s no state you would go to today in Nigeria where you would not see development,” he said.
AbdulRazaq added that governors remain committed to supporting the president’s policies and programmes.
“When you look back, you see all of us lining up behind you,” he said.
“We’ll continue to count on your leadership and wisdom as you continue to lead Nigeria.”
