According to the report from the Sun, a public affairs analyst and Convener of the Reset Lagos Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse is arguing that the economic situation in Nigeria is dire, with high unemployment, inflation, and a lack of enforcement of the minimum wage. He provides examples of people who are earning low wages and struggling to cover the cost of transportation to work and suggests that the situation is having a negative impact on productivity and the economy as a whole.
He said,
“Unemployment is at the highest rate, and inflation is the highest it has ever been. The minimum wage is N30,000, which is not even the actual minimum wage because the government has not been able to enforce it.
I know hundreds of people who are still earning N20,000 a month. I know graduates that I taught about 10 years ago and they are earning about N100,000 monthly.
I know a person who works at the Nigeria Ports Authority and lives in Ikorodu, he is only able to do one week on and one week off because the cost of transportation is N2000 to go to work and N2000 to return home. It about N120,000 a month. If he spends N120,000 a month on transportation, what is left from his salary is N25,000.
It is impossible. So he has decided to go once every other week. The economy suffers because of low productivity, as people cannot go to work to produce, so the country loses money.”