Deadlock as Buhari meets governors over N30,000 minimum wage

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with representatives of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) over the disagreement between the organised labour and state governors on the proposed N30,000 minimum wage.

Details of the meeting were sketchy but insiders told our reporter that the president was concerned about the position of the governors who had claimed their inability to pay the new minimum wage except they downsize their workforce.

The meeting was deadlocked as the governors could not assure the president of their ability to pay the new wage when implemented. The bill supporting the new minimum wage is yet to be transmitted to the National Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Amal Pepple Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage, had on Nov. 6, submitted its report to President Buhari where it recommended N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

While receiving the report, the president expressed his commitment to ensuring the implementation of a new national minimum wage and pledged to transmit an Executive bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time.

He expressed delight that the committee had successfully completed its assignment in a peaceful and non-controversial manner.

President Buhari said that the Federal Government would soon transmit an Executive bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time.

However, the 36 state governors had since expressed reservations over the proposed N30,000 new minimum wage by the Amal Pepple committee, saying the state governments were not in a stable financial position to pay the new minimum wage.

The Chairman of the Governors’ forum and Governor of Zamfara, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, had on Nov. 15, told newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the governors in Abuja that payment of N30, 000 wage was impracticable.

NAN reports that representatives of the Governors’ forum, who met with the president over the issue, included Governors of Zamfara, Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu, while the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige was also in attendance.(NAN)