President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, to calculate the cost implications of the proposed new national minimum wage.
The President gave the directive in Abuja when he met with members of the Federal Government’s Negotiation Team, which briefed him on the outcome of its engagement with the Organised Labour.
After the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the Minister of Finance had been given tomorrow, Wednesday, to provide the figures that would guide government on the issue at stake.
He explained that the meeting, attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Alhaji Mele Kyari, was aimed at finding a balance between the government’s pronouncements and the economic realities on the ground.
The Minister emphasised that the President was committed to an acceptable and sustainable new minimum wage realistic for Nigerians, involving not just the Federal Government, but also states and the organised private sector.
He noted that the government was not opposed to wage increment, but that it wants to ensure that any agreement reached is sustainable and realistic, given the economic realities on the ground.
Bello Wakili
