The National Council of State has approved ₦27,000 as the new minimum wage for the country.
This decision was reached following a series of strike actions and deliberations that ensued from the National Labour Unions’ appeals to the federal government to review the country’s minimum wage.
Following the council’s approval on Tuesday, a minimum wage bill is expected to be sent to the National Assembly within 24 hours.
Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, revealed that the federal government will increase the approved amount by ₦3,000 for workers in the federal civil service, adding that state governors are at liberty to improve on the approved sum if it is within the capacity of the state.
The approved sum is ₦3,000 short of the ₦30,000 suggested to the FG by the Tripartite Committee on Review of the National Minimum Wage.
The committee led by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple, had last year, submitted a report which contained the recommended figure to President Muhammadu Buhari after careful considerations.
Reacting to the minimum wage, the head, media and public affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said that state governors had fixed ₦22,500 as the minimum wage they could afford to pay their workers due to certain limitations.
“The ₦22,500 was arrived at after extensive deliberations among all 36 governors outlining their financial capacities and liquidity considering the economic situation of the country and the states’ other obligations to the majority of the people of their various domains.
“Governors also emphasized that ₦22,500 is a ‘baseline threshold’, meaning that any governor who can pay more than ₦22,500 is, therefore, free to go ahead and do so.” — Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo
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