- Committee Will Arrive At A Figure Today, Uzodimma Assures
- “There Is No Cause For Alarm” On The Ongoing Negotiations-Edun
- Presidency Debunks Rumours Of N105k As New Minimum Wage
Hope appears to be in sight on the possibility of a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers if the statements of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma are anything to go by.
Rising from the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage meeting on Thursday, Uzodimma who is the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after the committee’s five-hour meeting on Thursday disclosed that the committee will arrive at a figure by Friday (today).
Addressing the press after the meeting, Uzodimma said the committee would arrive at a figure when the committee reconvenes by 11am on Friday.
In attendance were representatives of the Federal Government including the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the Head of Service of the Federation.
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On the side of Organised Labour, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero; and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo; were in attendance.
Also giving assurance on a compromise being reached, Edun assured that “there is no cause for alarm” on the ongoing negotiations between the Organised Labour and the Tripartite Committee on the new minimum wage for workers in the country.
The minister made this position known after he met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Edun and Bagudu, met with Tinubu after the President hosted a delegation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, led by the Managing Director, Makhtar Diop, at the Villa.
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The IFC meeting has in attendance Edun; Bagudu; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris; the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zaccheus Adedeji; and the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Ajuri Ngelale.
It was understood that after the meeting, the duo of Edun and Bagudu met with the President.
Asked for updates on the new minimum wage template, Edun told reporters: “there is no cause for alarm”.
On the rumours making the rounds that a figure of N105,000 has been agreed, Uzodinma said no such decision has been reached but assured workers in the country that the figure agreed on the new minimum wage would be made known after Friday’s meeting.
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Similarly, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Tinubu disclosed that Edun did not propose N105,000 as the new minimum wage.
Onanuga made the disclaimer in a post on X on Thursday.
“The Honorable Minister of Finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun has not proposed N105,000 minimum wage,” he posted.
“The contrary story being disseminated is false.”
The disclaimer came hours after Edun submitted new national minimum wage options and projected cost implications to Tinubu.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, Tinubu directed Edun to present a template on new minimum wage figures and an analysis of the associated costs within 48 hours – after organised labour suspended its strike to pave the way for further negotiations.
Organised labour had proposed N615,500 and then N494,000 as the new national minimum wage, which the government said was unrealistic.
