Politics

Tinubu, Governors Meet to Conclude Minimum Wage

Published

5 months ago

Jun 27, 2024.

Tinubu, Governors Meet to Finalize Minimum Wage

Eko Hot Blog reports that President Bola Tinubu is set to discuss the new national minimum wage with state governors at the 142nd meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

The President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, revealed this plan during a visit to Kano, where he led a high-powered delegation to offer condolences to Vice President Kashim Shettima over the death of his mother-in-law.

Delivering the President’s condolence message, Gbajabiamila disclosed that President Tinubu’s attendance at the NEC meeting is unusual, underscoring its importance.

“He is indeed saddened and he wished he was here with you. You know our President is very ubiquitous, he can be in a million places at the same time, but unfortunately, this bill, as you well know, calls for him to be at the seat of power.

EDITOR’S PICK

“Indeed, he will be joining you tomorrow and that’s how important his presence in Abuja is right now. He will be joining you tomorrow at the NEC meeting, which he ever hardly attends, this might even be his first meeting,” Gbajabiamila said.

This meeting follows the Federal Executive Council’s decision on Tuesday to step down the report of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage.

The council cited the need for President Tinubu to further consult with other stakeholders, including state governors, local government authorities, and the private sector.

Idris explained that the council deferred action on the memo because the Federal Government is not the sole stakeholder on the national minimum wage issue.

“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organized private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly 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 that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, as I said, is not just an issue of the federal government. It affects the state governments, it affects the local governments, it also affects the organised private sector, and that is why it is called the national minimum wage.

‘It’s not just an affair of the federal government. So, Mr. President has studied the report and he’s going to consult wider before a final submission is being made to the National Assembly,” Idris said.

The Federal Government, Organized Private Sector, and Labour have held several meetings on the new minimum wage.

The NLC and Trade Union Congress leaders have been insisting on N250,000, while the Federal Government, states, and the OPS have countered with an offer of N62,000.

State governors, however, have argued that they cannot sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.

Click here to watch our video of the week: