The National Council of State has approved N27,000 as the new national minimum wage.
The decision was arrived at its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, presided over by the President Muhammadu Buhari and had in attendance Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, former Heads of State, Ernest Shonekan, Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former Chief Justices of the federation, state governors and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who disclosed that a minimum wage bill will be transmitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, noted that the federal government added to the approved amount by N3,000 to 30,000 for its workers, while states are at liberty to augment the new agreement as they desire.
Following the development, all employers of labour (private and public organisations) employing less than 25 workers are bounded by the N18,000 minimum wage, while the Council, set N27,000 as the new benchmark that any lowest paid worker (that is Grade Level 1 Step 1) would get.
The national minimum wage which was last reviewed in 2011 has been a source of debate between the organised labour and state governments in the country who are opposed to the proposed sum of N30,000 recommended by the Tripartite committee as the new wage, leading to protests and threats of a nationwide strike by the workers in the last few weeks.
Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq is a Journalist, Political Analyst and Satirist with major interest in Nigerian Politics, Governance and Sports.
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