The Federal Executive Council on Tuesday postponed action on a memorandum related to the report from the Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage.
According to The PUNCH, the decision aims to allow for further consultations among President Bola Tinubu, state governors, local government authorities, and the private sector. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained this during a briefing at the State House in Abuja.
The background to this postponement involves the complex nature of setting a national minimum wage in Nigeria, which requires input from various stakeholders beyond the Federal Government. Idris emphasized that the council delayed considering the memo because the minimum wage issue encompasses multiple entities, including state governments, local governments, and the private sector.
He pointed out the necessity for President Tinubu to engage with these wage-paying entities to gather their input and consider their circumstances before submitting an executive bill to the National Assembly for legislative approval.
“I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that (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 organised private sector and of course, including the organised labour.
“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised 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,” Idris stated.
The Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage, established in January, had recommended increasing the wage to N62,000 from the current N30,000. This committee includes representatives from the government, organised labour, and the organised private sector. However, the organised labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, has called for a N250,000 living wage.
The FEC’s decision came in the wake of a statement by NLC President Joe Ajaero, who expressed expectations that President Tinubu would engage with the Tripartite Committee to reconcile the proposed figures, particularly following a deadlock at the committee’s meeting. Idris added that President Tinubu has reviewed the report and will conduct broader consultations before making a final submission to the National Assembly.
