I have been following the chess game between the Nigerian Labour Congress and the federal government over the new minimum wage. In truth, with the high cost of living, N500,000 as minimum wage across board is not too much in Nigeria, If only wishes were horses… Sadly, that is not possible. I know small businesses that have not implemented the N30,000 minimum wage. It is not as if the small business owners are cruel. They simply cannot afford to pay that sum, lest they go out of business.
A despatch man came to do delivery one day. When he was done, he saw some weeds in my flower bed. He asked for permission to pluck some. I told him he could take as much as he wanted because I wanted to remove them anyway. Out of curiosity, I asked him what the weed was used for. He told me it helps to crash sugar level. I use lifestyle changes to control my blood sugar, so I lost interest. But that means that he does not have to spend a fortune on blood sugar and diabetes drugs.
NLC can continue with its negotiation with the government to come up with a minimum wage that will put more money in their pockets. Hopefully the states will follow suit. Even at that, that is still a small percentage of the Nigerian workforce. That is why I was not really interested in the NLC strike. For me, it is parochial. Protagonists can argue forever, but that is my opinion. I would not even have bothered talking about it, but shutting down the national grid rubbed me the wrong way.