By Victor AhiumaYoung & Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu said yesterday he will consult with the 36 state governors and members of the organized private sector, OPS, before arriving at the figure that will be submitted to the National Assembly in the form of an Executive Bill as the new national minimum wage.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Tinubu at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister said a memo on the report of the new minimum wage was presented to the council but noted that it was stepped down, being a national matter that had to do with the governors and the organized private sector.
He said it was after wider consultations with the relevant stakeholders that the President, with informed knowledge, would then forward a figure that would be the national minimum wage.
Recall that at the end of the tripartite committee meeting on the new national minimum wage, the government team and organized private sector offered N62,000 from the current N30,000 but Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, demanded N250,000 living wage.
The decision of the President to consult the relevant stakeholders is coming on the heels of a statement by the President of the NLC, Mr. Joe Ajaero, that Labour had expected the President to reach out to members of the tripartite committee to harmonize the figure.
Comrade Ajaero had hinged his position on the fact that there was a stalemate at the end of the tripartite committee meetings.
But briefing State House correspondents, the minister said: “I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, deliberated on that (report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage) and the decision is that because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the federal government, it is an issue that involves the federal, state, local governments, and organized private sector and, of course, organized labour.
“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr. President to consult further, especially with the state governors and organized private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly, and before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.
“So I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr. President is going to consult further, so he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, like I said, is not just an issue of the Federal Government.
