Lawrence Olaoye 
Following the organized labour’s disagreement with the N62,000 recommended by the tripartite committee set by the government to fix a new national minimum wage, President Bola Tinubu has opted to engage the state governors and organized private sector (OPS) in further consultations with a view of arriving at a more agreeable sum to all parties.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who briefed newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the State House yesterday.
Recall that the tripartite committee chaired by Bukar Goni Aji had recommended N62,000 as minimum wage. While the organized labour on one hand had insisted on settling, for at least, N250,000, the state governors and organized private sector (OPS) said they would not be able to pay more than the recommended wage.
Idris disclosed that a memo on the report of the new minimum wage was presented to the Council but it was stepped down because it was a national matter that had to do with the governors and the organized private sector.
He said that the President resolved to forward a new wage agreed to by all parties to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
The Minister said, “I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that (report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage) and the decision is that because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the federal government, it is an issue that involves the federal government, the state governments, local governments, and the organized private sector and of course, including the organized Labour.
“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organized private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.
“So I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, as I said, is not just an issue of the federal government.
“It affects the state governments, it affects the local governments, it also affects the organized private sector, and that is why it is called national minimum wage. It’s not just an affair of the federal government.
“So, Mr. President has studied the report and he’s going to consult wider before a final submission is being made to the National Assembly.”
The Minister clarified further that the federal government was not averse to an increase in the minimum wage for workers but that it was being careful not to reach an agreement on a figure that the subnational and the organized private sector would find unsustainable.
