Lawyers have expressed support for organized labor, asserting that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) lacks the authority to determine salaries for Nigerian workers.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Abdul Balogun, emphasized that no legal provisions empower the FEC to set civil servants’ wages.
“There is nothing in our law books that gives FEC the power to deliberate on minimum wage. It is illegal. Any resolution by FEC on minimum wage cannot stand because they do not have the power to come up with any resolution on the matter,” Balogun stated.
### Labor Vows to Oppose Governors’ Moves on Minimum Wage
Civil rights activist Barrister Daud Bello also agreed with Balogun’s stance. He argued that the minimum wage issue should have been resolved by the appropriate authority by now.
“The deliberation on minimum wage has lingered for too long, and I expected that by now, it should have been decided by the appropriate body. FEC has no business deliberating on minimum wage; it is not their duty. Any resolution by the FEC on minimum wage is a violation of the law guiding wages and salaries in the country,” Bello remarked.