Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun yesterday submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cost implication of a new minimum wage. This is expected to help guide negotiation with the tripartite panel comprising government officials, labour and the Organised Private Sector (OPS).President had on Tuesday given the Finance Minister 48 hours to submit to him the cost implication of the proposed wage review to enable government take informed decision on the contentious wage issue.

Edun submitted the document to the president in his office at the State House, Abuja.The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had announced to newsmen after a closed-door meeting of the government negotiation team led by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the presidential villa in Abuja, that the president directed Edun to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage within two days.

The labour unions are asking for an increase in the minimum from N30,000 to N494,000, following the rising inflation, high energy costs, skyrocketing transportation fares, increasing house rent, among others.On Monday and Tuesday, the unions led a strike that grounded the country, after they shut down the airports as well as the national electricity grid, throwing the country into a total blackout.

But yesterday, prodded by reporters on how far government negotiations with the organised labour had gone after submitting the report, Edun casually told newsmen that there was “no cause for alarm”.The Finance Minister was in the company of the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu and his Information and National Orientation counterpart, Idris.

The president had also assured that he was ready to pay more than the N60,000 offered by the government’s team as the maximum the government could pay as minimum wage to workers.And as Nigerians eagerly await the agreement on the new minimum wage by the federal government, the tripartite committee overseeing the negotiation has given hope that an agreement will be reached at today’s sitting.In what seemed like an assurance of a likely end to the prolonged negotiation on the minimum wage, Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma told journalists after yesterday’s session of the tripartite committee meeting that discussion on the issue was on its final stages and that an agreement will be reached by today (Friday).

He was however silent on the exact amount being proposed by government and which will form basis for discussion at Friday’s meeting. Uzodinma while speaking on the outcome of the proceeding said that the committee was taking a holistic approach to the Issues at hand.He said: “I sure that when we reconvene tomorrow by 11 am we will be able to reach some kind of concrete agreement and that will be the position we will present to the plenary to adopt.”

When asked about the amount being proposed as new minimum wage, Uzodinma said: ” It is not a matter of a specific amount, we are taking a holistic approach to the issue because it is not about minimum wage. Wages should be anchored on capacity to generate revenue and the sovereignty of the country is important to us.“It’s not about the workers, it is about Nigeria, it is about our nation and it is our responsibility as citizens to work with the government of the day to ensure that the country’s interest is protected”

By Dele Omoyeni


Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, says the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage will arrive at a figure by Friday.

Uzodimma, who is the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this after the committee’s five-hour meeting on Thursday.

Addressing the press after the meeting, Uzodimma said the committee would arrive at a figure when the committee reconvenes by 11am on Friday.

On the rumours making the rounds that a figure of N105,000 has been agreed, the governor said no such decision has been reached but assured workers in the country that the figure agreed on the new minimum wage would be made known after Friday’s meeting.

The committee also previously met on Wednesday at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja, the venue of the meeting.

In attendance were representatives of the Federal Government including the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the Head of Service of the Federation.

On the side of Organised Labour, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero; and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo; were in attendance.

It could be recalled that one of the conditions for suspending the strike on Tuesday was that the committee would continue to meet daily for one week until an agreement was reached for a new minimum wage for workers

President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday directed the committee to speed up the process, compute the figures and send them to him. The President had also said he was committed to a wage above N60,000 while the TUC and the NLC said they weren’t fixated on their N494,000 demand.

The Organised Labour suspended its indefinite strike on Tuesday after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government that negotiations should continue daily, and Wednesday’s meeting was the first after that agreement was signed.

Kellie069:
But my concern now is the 30k minimum wage of since 2019 hasn’t been implemented in some states till now. The ones that pay 30k borrows loan from federal govt to pay salaries! Only few states have been able to pay salaries! So tell me what the situation would be after arriving at 65-70k minimum wage? E go burst o

pianogirl:


It's funny how government is so swift to increase enumeration for the political and ruling class without thinking of the cost implications, but suddenly turn "economists" when it comes to improving the lives of civil servants and average Nigerian citizens.

nayi:
Good one. Please we don't want another blackout
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