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Kenneth Okonkwo Claims N30,000 Minimum Wage Was More Valuable Than Current N70,000
Kenneth Okonkwo, the well-known Nollywood actor and politician, has argued that the previous minimum wage of N30,000 was more valuable than the current N70,000 benchmark.
Okonkwo expressed his views during an appearance on the ‘Mic On’ podcast, highlighting his concerns about the real value of wages in the face of significant economic changes.
Fire9ja reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recently approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 after reaching an agreement with labor unions.
According to Okonkwo, the value of the previous N30,000 minimum wage has depreciated compared to the new N70,000 wage.
He explained that when the N30,000 wage was in place, the exchange rate was approximately N500 to one US dollar.
However, with the current exchange rate soaring to N1,500 to one dollar, the real value of the new N70,000 minimum wage has diminished considerably.
Okonkwo pointed out that while the former minimum wage translated to about $60 per month when the rate was N500 to a dollar, the current wage of N70,000 now equates to approximately $45 per month at the current exchange rate.
This stark difference demonstrates that despite the nominal increase in the minimum wage, its purchasing power has actually decreased due to inflation and currency devaluation.
Okonkwo questioned the effectiveness of the recent wage adjustment, suggesting that it fails to address the real economic challenges faced by workers.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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