Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, to take legal action against any state that fails to pay the current N30,000 minimum wage.

Falana made this statement on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ program  yesterday.

“Once a new minimum wage becomes law, the federal government and the attorney-general have a duty to take any non-compliant state government to court,” Falana said. “The attorney-general can file a new case, highlighting how state governments have been diverting funds meant for local governments.”

Falana argued that no state can claim an inability to pay the minimum wage following the federal government’s removal of the petrol subsidy. He emphasized that state governments will be compelled to pay the minimum wage and noted his push for the deduction of workers’ salaries from the source.

“There is no state in Nigeria today that cannot pay more than the minimum wage because the government removed fuel subsidy last year, and President Tinubu assured Nigerians that the savings would be used for this purpose,” he said. “Any state government or employer of labour that does not pay the national minimum wage will be taken to court. We will ensure the law is complied with, including requesting the court to order monthly deductions from the source in Abuja.”

Falana criticized claims that some states cannot pay the N30,000 minimum wage, stating, “It shouldn’t be coming from the government because that is an admission of illegality.”