People are angry, Tinubu's ₦70k minimum wage can only buy a bag of rice - Ndume

The embattled lawmaker from Borno State, Senator Ali Ndume, has refused to back down from his criticism of President Bola Tinubu, this time condemning the government's approval of 70 thousand naira as the new minimum wage for workers.

Ndume, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator representing Borno South, has become a sort of persona non grata in the ruling party following his recent anti-government rhetoric.

He was recently sacked as the Chief Whip of the Senate and removed from his position as the deputy chairman of the committee on Appropriations as a result.

The decision followed his comments deriding Tinubu and his policies. Ndume in a series of interviews alleged that the President has become oblivious to existential challenges in the country.

He also alleged that Tinubu has been "caged", adding the President's greatest achievement so far was securing financial autonomy for Local Governments.

Displeased by his unrestrained outbursts, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) under Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje wrote to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, ordering Ndume's removal as Chief Whip.

Ndume steps up anti-government comments

However, the dogged lawmaker has refused to cower despite the political implications he recently suffered.

Reacting to a recent agreement between Tinubu and organised labour to peg the national minimum wage at 70 thousand naira, the senator said more still needed to be done.

Though he praised the development, the lawmaker said the amount is only enough to cover a 50kg bag of rice, calling on the President to review it upward.

“People are suffering, people are angry, people are not happy. I am happy that yesterday, the President agreed with NLC to increase the salary to ₦70,000, which is a good move, but it takes more than that because, realistically, that is like a bag of rice, money that will buy a bag of rice or cover the cost of a bag of rice.

“So, I call on the president to still open up and listen to the people,” Ndume said in a video posted by Channels Television last Friday.