N70,000 Minimum Wage Can Only Buy a Bag of Rice, Says Ndume

A former Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has criticised the N70,000 new minimum wage recently approved by the federal government.

Ndume was relieved of his position after his comments believed to be against the government of President Bola Tinubu.

Deriding the new wage, Ndume said it could only buy a 50kg bag of rice which averagely sells above N70,000.

Ndume, hence, asked Tinubu to review the minimum wage upwards.

The senator, though a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has been critical in his comments about the government of Tinubu.

He was on Wednesday removed as the Senate Chief Whip.

Tinubu and the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress met on Wednesday at the State House and agreed on the new N70, 000 minimum wage.

In a viral video posted by Channels Television on Friday, Ndume said the approved minimum wage cannot sustain a household because it can only cover a 50kg bag of rice.

“People are suffering, people are angry, people are not happy. I am happy that yesterday, the President agreed with NLC to increase the salary to N70,000, which is a good move, but it takes more than that because, realistically, that is like a bag of rice, money that will buy a bag of rice or cover the cost of a bag of rice.

“So, I call on the president to still open up and listen to the people,” Ndume said.

Ndume was sacked as a Senate principal officer following a letter from Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC national chairman and Basiru Ajibola, the party’s national secretary.

In the letter, the APC leaders referenced an interview Ndume granted where he criticised the Tinubu administration and subsequently recommended that the Senate relieve him of his position.