LIVE UPDATES
President Bola Tinubu will meet with the state governors today (Thursday) to discuss the way forward concerning the new national minimum wage at the 142nd meeting of the National Economic Council at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
The President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this known when he led a delegation to commiserate with Vice President Kashim Shettima over the demise of his mother-in-law.
Delivering the President’s condolence message to the Vice President, Gbajabiamila disclosed that President Tinubu would be attending the scheduled NEC meeting with the governors, describing the plan as unusual.
He said, “He is indeed saddened and he wished he was here with you. You know our President is very ubiquitous, he can be in a million places at the same time, but unfortunately, this bill, as you well know, calls for him to be at the seat of power.
“Indeed, he will be joining you tomorrow and that’s how important his presence in Abuja is right now. He will be joining you tomorrow at the NEC meeting, which he hardly attends; this might even be his first meeting."
The meeting comes days after the Federal Executive Council on Tuesday stepped down the report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage, citing the need for President Tinubu to further consult with other stakeholders on the matter.
The stakeholders comprise state governors, local government authorities and the private sector.
He noted: “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 organised private sector, and that is why it is called the 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 Federal Government, OPS and Labour had held several meetings on the new minimum wage with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders insisting on N250,000.
On the other hand, the Federal Government, states and the OPS made a counter-offer of N62,000.
However, the state governors argued that they would not sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.
