New Minimum Wage: Osinbajo, Governors Meet In Abuja

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday led the Economic Management Team (EMT) to a closed-doors meeting with representatives of state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

At the meeting were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Ministers of Labour, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Boss Mustapha, Senator Chris Ngige, Mrs Zainab Ahmed and Udoma Udo Udoma, respectively.

Also at the meeting were the Head of Service to the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Director General, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule and Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.

The Governors at the meeting included the Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors Forum, and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, Osun State, Rauf Aragbesola and Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige had briefed State House correspondents on Friday last week after meeting behind closed-doors with President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that the Economic Management Team would meet on Monday with the Governors to take position on the new minimum wage.

The Federal Government has insisted on N24, 000 as new minimum wage, the organised labour had on their own maintained that in the last Minimum Wage Negotiation Tripartite Committee, the sum of N30, 000 which the government objected to, claiming that there was no consensus on that.

Ngige maintained that in fixing the minimum wage, the paramount thing was the ability to pay and that government cannot force employers to pay what they cannot afford.

But the organised labour has accused the government of playing games with the minimum wage and threatened to embark on strike November 6.

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