President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opted to consult further before sending an Executive Bill to the National Assembly.
The President took the decision yesterday at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) where he received the report of the Tripartite Committee on minimum wage from Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume.
The report, which Akume had received from Bukar Goni Aji, Chairman of the Tripartite Committee, recommended N62,000 minimum wage based on the submissions by Federal/State governments and the Organised Private Sector (OPS).
Labour at the close of consultations recommended N250,000.
Governors have said they might be unable to pay N62,000.
In the same vein, the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) said unless the revenue formula is adjusted to give local governments more revenue, it will be impossible to pay N62,000.
Yesterday, Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told reporters of the President’s decision on wider consultation.
He said: “I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that.
“The decision is because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the Federal Government, but involves state governments, local governments, the organised private sector and organised labour.
“The memo was stepped down to enable Mr. President to consult further, especially with the governors and the organised private sector, before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.
“Mr. President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position.”
The decision of the President to consult the relevant stakeholders comes on the heels of a statement by NLC President Joe Ajaero that labour expected the President to reach out to the members of the Tripartite Committee to harmonise the figures.
Ajaero said as far as Labour was concerned, there was a stalemate at the final meeting of the Tripartite Committee.
The FEC also took far-reaching decisions on the procurement of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and arms, ammunition and body scanners for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Charismatic bishops plead with Fed Govt, labour
In Kaduna, Kaduna State, the Synod of Charismatic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) appealed to the Federal Government and Labour to amicably reach a consensus on the new minimum wage.
The plea by the Archbishop Leonard Kawas-led clerics was contained in a statement yesterday.
According to them, with fervent prayers by Nigerians, the country would overcome its current socio-economic challenges.
The statement partly reads: “The Synod pleaded with the Federal Government to dialogue with the Labour and be considerate of the present condition of the economy.
“The Synod also called upon the NLC not to shut down the country in the name of strike, but to continue with the negotiation to avoid more inflation and more hardship.
“We pray that there will be a resolution between the Labour and the Federal Government.
“But with all seriousness, any attempt to shut down the whole country will result in huge losses to the nation.”
