President Bola Tinubu has directed the minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Wale Edun, to put forward the cost implications of an affordable, sustainable and realistic new minimum wage for Nigerian workers in two days.
President Tinubu gave the marching order to Edun at a closed-door meeting with the government negotiation team on the new minimum wage, led by the SGF, Senator George Akume, at State House, Abuja. Other members of the team, which had been meeting with organized labour, who were at the meeting with Tinubu included Ministers of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Labour, Nkiru Onyejeocha; as well as Group CEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari.
The minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed the President’s directive while speaking to newsmen after the closed-door meeting. Idris said the President directed the Minister of Finance to present the new minimum wage figures that would form the basis of negotiation with organized labour. Idris assured of the president’s readiness to accept the committee’s resolutions with labour representatives in line with his commitment to the welfare of Nigerians.
He explained that the Federal Government was keen to ensure a balance of its commitments with the economic realities of the country. The minister further said President Tinubu had directed government representatives at the tripartite committee meeting to work with the organized private sector and the sub-nationals to achieve a new affordable and sustainable wage award for Nigerians.
The information minister assured that parties involved in the new minimum wage negotiation will work together with organized labour to present a new minimum wage for Nigerians in one week.
