By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has instructed the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, to develop a framework for a revised minimum wage and present it no later than Thursday.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this information during a press briefing in Abuja, shortly after a meeting with the President.
Tinubu, on Tuesday, had a closed-door meeting with the representative of the Federal Government in the ongoing negotiations with organized labour on a new minimum wage.
Present at the meeting were George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and national planning; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, minister of state for labour and productivity, and Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited.
Addressing the press, Idris said during the meeting, the President directed Edun to work out the figures of a possible new minimum wage between Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to the Minister, the presentation of Edun would form the basis on which the Federal Government will proceed with the negotiation.
Idris said: “We were all there to look at all issues, and the president has directed the minister of finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today and tomorrow so that we can have figures ready for negotiation with labour,” the minister said.
“Let me say that the president is determined to go with what the committee has said, and he’s also looking at the welfare of Nigerians.
“The government is not an opponent of labour discussions or wage increases.”
“All of us will work together assiduously within the next one week to ensure that we have a new wage for Nigeria that is acceptable, sustainable, and also realistic,” he added
The New Diplomat reports that organized labour had announced its decision to suspend its indefinite strike action for one week.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) stated that the decision is to allow for negotiation with the federal government for a new minimum wage.
