FG, govs meeting deadlocked over minimum wage

THE meeting between the Economic Management Team (EMT) and State Governors over new national minimum wage failed to reach common ground on an acceptable amount to be adopted on Monday.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja attended by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, his counterparts from Kebbi and Plateau, Atiku Bagudu and Simon Lalong as well as Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and other stakeholders.

In the end, the meeting disagreed on whether to accept the federal government’s offer of N24,000 even though the organised Labour is demanding N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

Another meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday to attempt to resolve the disagreement even as the governors are saying that they have no problem with any amount agreed but the capacity to pay.

In a brief chat with State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Yari confirmed that the Governors were yet to agree on a figure.

He said: “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.”

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He said that the meeting discussed the proposal made by the organised labour and the figure proposed by the Federal Government, adding that “the governors still haven’t come out with any figure.”

“So by tomorrow, 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.”

Also speaking, Ngige said the meeting had a fruitful deliberation, adding: “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 have a very fruitful meeting which necessitated in governors having a further meeting tomorrow.

“We will reconvene tomorrow 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.”

“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.”

He said that the meeting discussed the proposal made by the organised labour and the figure proposed by the Federal Government, adding that “the governors still haven’t come out with any figure.”

“So by tomorrow, 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.”

Following the EMT meeting, the NGF has scheduled an emergency meeting over minimum wage on Tuesday in Abuja.

Expected to attend are all state governors as no representation would be entertained; various stakeholders including the ministers of finance and labour and employment.