•As minister submits cost analysis to Tinubu
The Presidency has debunked claims that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, has proposed a minimum wage of N105,000 per month for Nigerian workers.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via his verified X (formerly known as Twitter) handle @aonanuga1956 said: “The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, has not proposed N105,000 minimum wage,” adding, “the contrary story being disseminated is false.”
Earlier yesterday, Edun presented the minimum wage template to President Bola Tinubu, meeting the 48-hour deadline.
Edun, along with the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu and Minister of Information and National Orientation, met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to discuss the cost implications of the new minimum wage proposal.
In the wake of a nationwide strike by labour unions, President Bola Tinubu had issued a 48-hour deadline for Edun to present a proposed new minimum wage figure and analysis of the associated costs.
The strike, which involved members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), disrupted economic activities across the country, leading to the closure of international airports, schools, courts, banks, and hospitals.
On Tuesday, organised labour unions suspended their strike for five days to allow for further negotiations with the government.
The report submitted by Edun is said to outline several potential new minimum wage levels, along with the anticipated fiscal impacts on the federal budget of each option. This move is seen as a crucial step in the ongoing process of determining a new national minimum wage, which has been a topic of discussion in recent times.
The Federal Government had, on Monday, announced that President Tinubu had committed to a national minimum wage higher than the current N60,000.
This was one of the key resolutions of the Federal Government and organised labour following a meeting held in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.