Moghalu said, “In the debates on national minimum wage in Nigeria we miss the fundamental point: there is little or no productivity in the economy. If we had a truly productive economy there is no reason we can’t have the kind of minimum wage of 400 or 500K that Labour wants. But we can’t, because the level of productivity in the economy cannot support it. Remember, minimum wage is not just about government salaries — there are not more than 2, at most 3 million civil servants in Nigeria. It is even more about what is paid in the private sector, to household staff, etc.”
“All of this is why, all things considered, including avoiding a minimum wage that multiplies already ravaging inflation (assuming such a wage can even be paid), I recommend a minimum wage of between N75,000 and N100,000.”
“In fact, speaking about productivity, how productive is an average Nigerian worker? How skilled is he or she, and thus how much value does he or she create. I know we are all upset at our insensitive political class who do not care about the masses and only for themselves. But the economics of it all is far more complex.”
“Sadly, it is quite obvious that the political will to reduce the waste in governance does not exist.”