Reno Omokri questions feasibility of AAC’s ₦500,000 minimum wage proposal

Politics

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has questioned the feasibility of implementing a ₦500,000 minimum wage for workers in the country, warning that such a policy could plunge Nigeria back into an era of borrowing to pay salaries.

In a post on his verified Facebook page titled, “Is a ₦500,000 Minimum Wage Realistic?”, Omokri argued that Nigeria’s public sector wage structure makes the proposal financially unsustainable.

According to him, Nigeria currently has about two million civil servants, a figure that rises to three million when military, police, and paramilitary personnel are included. He added that with pensioners factored in, the number climbs to about four million beneficiaries.

Omokri stated that implementing a ₦500,000 minimum wage would cost the country at least ₦2 trillion monthly, describing the estimate as conservative since many workers and pensioners earn above the minimum wage threshold.

“So, the actual monthly wage bill will be closer to ₦4 trillion, if not more,” he said.

He questioned where Nigeria would generate the estimated ₦36 trillion annually required to sustain such a wage structure in the public sector.

“Please bear in mind that the total revenue collected by the Federal Government of Nigeria is projected to be less than ₦30 trillion per annum. Again, please fact-check me,” he added.

The former presidential aide warned that if the government commits all its earnings to salaries, little or nothing would be left for infrastructure, healthcare, education, defence, and other critical sectors.

“What about roads, hospitals, schools, social services, and defence? If we are spending all our income paying salaries and even borrowing because our annual revenue will not cover our wage bill, then we will not have any funds left for capital expenditure,” he said.

Omokri further noted that President Bola Tinubu had ended the practice of borrowing to pay salaries, cautioning against policies that could reverse those efforts.

He argued that a ₦500,000 minimum wage would leave the government with only two options — borrowing or downsizing the workforce.

“So, may I appeal to presidential candidates to be a bit more realistic and circumspect about the promises they make to the electorate? You may mean well, but please think things through so you can be true to yourself,” he said.

Earlier, Newpost Africa reported that the African Action Congress (AAC) renewed calls for a living wage of at least ₦500,000 monthly for Nigerian workers.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the opposition party insisted that Nigerian workers deserve wages that go beyond survival and should also enjoy proper allowances, especially in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, security, and emergency services.

“Police officers, soldiers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and all public servants who keep society running must be rewarded with dignity, fair compensation, and improved welfare. A nation cannot progress while its workers remain trapped in poverty,” the AAC stated.