Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani has cautioned about the potential impact of the minimum wage demand by organized labor on private employers.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) initially demanded a minimum wage above N600,000, however, that was lowered to N494,000.

The government also improved on their initial N35,000 offer to N60,000, which the unions' leadership has rejected.

While the conversation is ongoing, the human rights activist highlighted the consequences should the federal government agree to the demands of the labor unions.

"If the FG agrees to pay a minimum wage of 400k, that is what you have to pay your security guard, your housemaid, your driver, your sales girl or sales boy, your gardener, your shop assistant, your cleaner... or you negotiate to pay half, which is 200k," Sani said in a post on X on Sunday, June 2.

The federal government has described the proposed indefinite strike by the labour unions as illegal.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced the complete shutdown of Nigeria’s power grid by labour unions as the strike begins.

Announcing the shutdown of the national power grid in a statement issued on Monday, June 3 by TCN spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, the transmission firm said the workers deliberately did the action.

The statement was titled, “Grid shutdown: Union Deliberately shuts down the National Grid.”

It read in part, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the general public that the labour union has shut down the national grid, resulting in a blackout nationwide. The national grid shut down occurred at about 2.19am this morning, June 3, 2024.

“At about 1:15am this morning, the Benin Transmission Operator under the Independent System Operations unit of TCN reported that all operators were driven away from the control room and that staff that resisted were beaten while some were wounded in the course of forcing them out of the control room. Without any form of control or supervision, the Benin Area Control Centre was brought to zero.