Renowned Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, has urged the federal and state governments to recover looted funds to finance the national minimum wage.
In an interview with Channels Television, Falana emphasized that the necessary funds exist, but the governments lack the political will to collect and recover the money looted or withheld from the federation account.
Falana’s statement comes amidst ongoing negotiations between organized labor and the federal government regarding the new minimum wage. Although labor reduced its demand from N494,000 to N250,000, and the government increased its offer from N60,000 to N62,000, a decision on the proposed minimum wage may be delayed until July 2 due to the National Assembly’s holiday.
The human rights lawyer stressed that recovered looted funds can sufficiently cover the cost of the minimum wage, and urged the Nigerian authorities to demonstrate the necessary political will to implement the minimum wage.
