From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to come up with cost implications for the new minimum wage, and present an affordable, sustainable and realistic figure within the next two days.
The directive was made known by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, following a meeting between the government’s representatives on the minimum wage negotiation with the organised labour.
According to Idris, the president summoned a meeting of all those who negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, Edun, Idris, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, and the the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (GCEO-NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
Idris said the meeting was to discuss all issues related to the minimum wage negotiation and organised labour.
The presentation of the new minimum wage figures would form the basis of negotiation with the organised labour.
Idris said the president was determined to accept the committee’s resolutions with the organised labour and committed to the welfare of Nigerians.
“The president has just summoned a meeting of all those who negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government, including finance, information, budget and national planning and labour ministers as well as the NNPCL group managing director, and led by the SGF.
“We were all there to look at all issues and the president has directed the finance minister to do the numbers and get back to him between today and tomorrow, so that we can have figures ready for negotiation with labour,” he said.
The information minister also highlighted the Federal Government’s concerns about ensuring a balance between its commitment and the realities in the country. He noted that the government was not opposed to wage increases but working to ensure any promise made is kept.
“And let me say that the president is determined to go with what the committee has said, and he is also looking at the welfare of Nigerians The government is not against labour discussions; the government is not an opponent of wage increase, but what is there is that we want to ensure there is a balance between what the government pronouncement is and what the realities are on ground. Therefore, we will work to ensure that whatever promise the government makes is a promise that will be kept; that is the idea of this meeting.”
Idris added that the president had given a marching order to the government representatives, the organised private sector, and sub-nationals, to come together to achieve a new affordable and sustainable wage award for Nigerians.
“The wage award is not limited to the Federal Government, but also involves the sub-nationals, and the organised private sector, which were absent during the initial negotiation process.
“The president has given a marching order to all those who have negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government, and all those who are representatives of organised private sectors, and the sub nationals, to come together to have a new wage award that is affordable, sustainable and also realistic for Nigerians.
“The wage award is not just that of the Federal Government, like I mentioned earlier, it also involves the sub nationals, and the organised private sector. It was labour that stepped out during that procedure, but now we have come back to the negotiation table.”
The minister said all parties to the negotiation of the new minimum wage would work together with the organised labour to present a new minimum wage for Nigerians within one week, emphasising that all parties would work assiduously to ensure the new wage is acceptable, sustainable, and realistic for Nigerians.
“All of us will work together assiduously within the next one week to ensure we have a new wage for Nigerians that is acceptable, sustainable and also realistic,” he said.