President Tinubu to meet State Governors over Minimum Wage— President Tinubu of Nigeria is set to meet with his State Governors today at the 142nd meeting of the National Economic Council at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, to discuss the new national minimum wage.
The chief of staff, who will also be in attendance, disclosed plans for the President’s uncommon appearance when he briefed the media in Kano while leading a high-ranked delegation to commiserate with the Vice President of the Federation, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, over the death of his mother-in-law.
While delivering President Tinubu’s condolences to Vice President Shettima, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, revealed that President Tinubu would be attending an NEC meeting scheduled to be held today, Thursday, June 27th, 2024, describing it as unusual.
He said, “Mr. President is very saddened about not being able to be here in Kano with them. As it is known, President Tinubu is ubiquitous; he can be in a million places simultaneously, but unfortunately, this bill calls for him to be in the seat of power.
“Indeed, he will be joining you tomorrow, and that’s how his presence in Abuja is right now. He will join you at the NEC meeting, which he hardly attends- this might even be his first meeting,” Gbajabiamila disclosed.
The NEC meeting is coming two days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Tuesday, downplayed the viral report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage and emphasised the need for President Tinubu to engage in further discussion with other stakeholders on the matter.
Failure to discuss memos gives room for speculation, NLC tells the government.
Organised Labour on Tuesday opposed the Federal Executive Council’s decision to downplay the memorandum on the report of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage.
The Head of Public Relations of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Benson Upah, criticised the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ‘s failure to consider the memorandum during Tuesday’s FEC meeting, stressing that “downplaying the Tripartite Committee report has created a vacuum for injurious speculations.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also told journalists after the council meeting that the FEC downplayed the memorandum on the new minimum wage to make room and time for more consultations between President Bola Tinubu, the thirty-six state Governors, Local Government Authorities, and the Private Sector.
Mr. Idris stated further that the council delayed acting on the memo because the Federal Government is not the main and only stakeholder in the national minimum wage issue.
As is widely known, the Government will only take action after consulting various parties involved.
https://www.channelstv.com/2024/06/27/tinubu-shettima-meet-with-govs-over-minimum-wage-economy/
The Federal Government, Organised Private Sector, and Labour had previously held several meetings on the new minimum wage with the NLC and Trade Union Congress leaders.
The NLC and Trade Union Congress leaders insist on N250,000, but the Federal Government, States, and the OPS counteroffer N62,000.
However, the state governors rebuffed any offer above N60,000, expressing their incapability to sustain a minimum wage higher than N60,000.
We can recall that Labour embarked on a two-day strike on June 3, 2024, over the tripartite committee’s inability to agree on a new minimum wage and for a reversal of the electricity tariff hike.
However, once a consensus has been achieved by all stakeholders on the new minimum wage, it will take effect from May 2024. However, a section of organised labour realistically believes that the implementation may be around August 2024.
TUC: New Minimum Wage Will Be Ready In August
Meanwhile, organised labour yesterday disclosed that the new national minimum wage will be ready by early August 2024.
The president of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo, gave a hint when the labour centre received officials from the Kogi State government led by the special adviser on labour matters to the state governor, Usman Ododo, Comrade Onuh Edoka, in Abuja.
The TUC president called for urgently updating the minimum wage to address Nigerian workers’ economic challenges, particularly rising economic challenges.
Osifo said that the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) were working diligently to ensure that the new minimum wage bill progresses swiftly through the National Assembly and receives presidential approval by the end of July or early August.
The labour leader urged state governments to prepare for the new wage implementation and praised Nasarawa State’s proactive steps in setting aside funds to meet future obligations.
He also urged Kogi State and others to prioritise and be prepared to accept the new minimum wage.
He said, “What we are working on, from both labour centres, is that before the end of July, we should have a new minimum wage that must have passed through the processes and been assented to by the president so that the plight of the workers will improve much more.
“We know that, by the grace of God, the new minimum wage act should be in place by the end of July, at most early August.
Implementing the new national minimum wage will significantly improve workers’ conditions, enabling them to afford necessities despite skyrocketing inflation.
“Prompt salary payments not only benefit workers but also stimulate the state’s economy as workers spend their earnings on goods and services, driving economic growth; therefore, we encourage continuous prompt payment of salaries and timely implementation of the new minimum wage.”