The National Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON),AMINU MUAZU MAIFATA, has said that local governments cannot afford to pay 62,000 naira as minimum wage.

MAIFATA suggested that an affordable minimum wage should be set and not something unsustainable like the 250,000 naira proposed by Labour.

He noted that even if local government chairmen decide to use the entire monthly allocations for salaries alone, it would still not be enough to implement the new minimum wage.

He therefore called on the federal government to start the process of an upward review of federal allocation to the 774 local councils across Nigeria.

He said this would enable the local governments to pay the proposed 62,000naira national minimum wage.

MAIFATA, who is also the chairman of Lafia Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, lamented that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria receive little above 18 per cent from the Federation Account monthly.