Anxiety as FG’s team, Govs meet over Minimum Wage

…As FG, 36 Govs differ on figure
The Governors of the 36 states of the federation under the aegis of Nigeria`s Governors Forum (NGF) will meet today with the Federal Government Economic Managent Team (EMT) so as to have time to critically analyse the memo from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, seeking for a common stand on the proposed new minimum wage.

There were indications on Monday that the governors were not in agreement with the Federal Government over acceptable the figure for the new minimum wage.

On Monday, the Federal Government’s EMT chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with representatives of the governors to take position on the new minimum wage which the organised labour is insisting on N30,000.

The governors at the meeting had requested to meet today on the platform of the Nigeria`s Governors Forum (NGF), so as to have time to critically analyse the memo from Ngige to enable them to take a common stand.

The Governors said that they could pay any amount demanded by the workers as new minimum wage but that their main challenge was the capacity to pay.

Addressing State House correspondents at the EMT meeting, Ngige said the meeting had a fruitful deliberation.

Ngige said: “We held a meeting for us to bring out modalities for us to respond to the emerging problems thrown up by the National Minimum wage Committee and we had very fruitful meeting which necessitated in the governors having further meeting tomorrow (today).

“We will reconvene tomorrow (today) to brief the Economic Management Team and the Vice President and we take it up from there. The governors will meet to take a position and brief the Economic Management Team. This meeting is only for the Tripartite Committee of the government side.”

But the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Zamfara State Governor Abdullaziz Yari said the meeting was for the government side to look at the bottleneck on the minimum wage with the organised labour.

His words: “The position of the governors is not very clear to some of you. We are willing to pay any amount but the issue is the capacity to pay. The meeting discussed the proposal made by the organised labour and the figure.”

He said that the Federal Government has proposed a figure, adding that “the governors still haven’t come out with any figure.”

“So by tomorrow (today), we are going to discuss with our governors on the bill by the Minister of Labour and Employment to the NGF Secretariat. We will digest it and come up with our own positions as governors because we are critical stakeholders on this issue,” he added.

It was however gathered that the governors were not comfortable with the N24, 000 proposal by the Federal Government and would likely come up with their own figure after meeting today.

A source privy to the meeting said that the governors were furious with the N24, 000 when some governors were unable to pay the current N18,000.