Lawyers have concurred with organized labor that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) does not have the authority to determine salaries for Nigerian workers.
One such lawyer, Mr. Abdul Balogun (SAN), clarified that no existing law empowers the FEC to set civil servant salaries. He remarked, “There is nothing in our law books that gives FEC the powers 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.”
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Similarly, civil rights activist Barrister Daud Bello echoed Balogun’s views. He emphasized that the issue of the minimum wage should have been resolved by now, allowing the focus to shift to other pressing matters.
“The deliberation on the minimum wage has dragged on for too long, and by now, it should have been settled by the appropriate body. FEC has no business deliberating on the minimum wage; it is not their duty. Any resolution by the FEC on the minimum wage is a violation of the law guiding wages and salaries in the country,” Bello stated.