Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, has said that Bola Tinubu will consult further before arriving at a final conclusion on the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The Minister stated this at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the report of the tripartite committee on the new wage was presented and deliberated on at the FEC meeting, but was stepped down to enable the President consult further.
Idris said this would allow the President take an informed decision on it before sending its bill to the National Assembly for consideration.
“We discussed the new minimum wage issue at the council meeting.
“The new national minimum wage is not just that of the federal government, it is an issue that involves the federal government, the state governments, local governments, and organised private sector.
“And of course, the memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and organised private sector,” he said.
“But what the administration has always said is that we want an increase that is consistent with what Nigeria can take so that we don’t throw the country into some form of problem.
“The president said, ‘Let us consult the subnationals further. Let us also consult the organised private sector further,’ because the new national minimum wage is not just a federal government issue alone.
“It is a new national minimum wage, and as the name implies, you need to carry everyone along so that you arrive at something that the government will continue to pay.
“Now, we know that already the government has offered 62,000, I mean the tripartite committee. The president is looking at that.
“Before he sends it to the National Assembly, like I said, he needs to consult deeper so that he can come up with something that all Nigerians will be very happy with.
“As for the issue of timeline, I don’t want to speculate, but I know that it’s going to be very, very soon because the President takes this issue seriously.
“Now, you mentioned whether the labour will not continue to suffer as a result of this waiting.
