LP’s Rhodes-Vivour slams Lagos’ N85,000 minimum wage as ‘insufficient’

The recent announcement by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s recent on how much the state will pay as new minimum wage has sparked criticism from Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who argues that the governor’s boasts about increasing the Lagos budget rings hollow amidst the city’s persistent challenges.

Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the state for the 2023 elections, said, “Lagos has the highest intra-city public transportation costs in Nigeria and ranks second nationally in the average cost of a healthy diet, excluding Abuja,” Rhodes-Vivour said in a statement on Friday. “Given these factors, a minimum wage of at least N100,000 is necessary for Lagos workers to achieve parity with their counterparts in other states.”

Despite Sanwo-Olu’s claims of increasing the Lagos budget from N600 billion to over N1 trillion and a 94% budget performance rate, Rhodes-Vivour counters that the city still struggles with poor infrastructure, inadequate human capital investment and subpar education outcomes. The public transportation network remains inefficient, and slums and informal communities are on the rise.

READ ALSO: Lagos to pay N85K as minimum wage to civil servants

“Over 70% of Lagos State’s operating revenue comes from taxes, with PAYE contributing 45%,” Rhodes-Vivour emphasized. “Citizens’ hard work generates the state’s wealth, yet they receive minimal tangible benefits. Do their children access quality public education? Is public transportation efficient and affordable?”

Rhodes-Vivour questions the governor’s prioritization, stating, “Boasting about an aggressive tax system without investing in public goods is characteristic of a cartel, not a progressive government.”

He criticized Sanwo-Olu’s comparison of Lagos to Bauchi or Ekiti as “juvenile and visionless,” noting the city lags behind African contemporaries.

“The APC has wasted 24 years, barely scratching the surface,” Rhodes-Vivour concludes. “Lagosians deserve better. It’s time to address the real issues, not just boast about budget size.”

The post LP’s Rhodes-Vivour slams Lagos’ N85,000 minimum wage as ‘insufficient’ appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.