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Buhari, Govs Meeting on Minimum Wage Deadlocked

President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with the representatives of Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, did not resolve the controversy surrounding the N30,000 proposed Minimum Wage by the Tripartite Committee.

Although the governors did not talk to State House correspondents after the meeting that held behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, it was reliably gathered that the Governors were adamant on their initial proposal of N22,500 which they made at the eve of the submission of the committee’s report on October 6, 2018.

But there was an indication that the Governors might settle for N24,000 which was the proposed figure by the Federal Government that was turned down by the organised labour.

The governors at the meeting yesterday were led by the Chairman of the NGF and Zamfara state governor, Abdulazeez Yari.

Others include the Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode; Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and that of Kebbi state, Atiku Bagudu as well as the minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

The governors declined comments after the meeting indicating that they may not have reached a consensus with the President on recommended N30,000 minimum wage.

The media office of the President had promised to issue statement on what transpired during the meeting, but as at the time of filing this report, the statement was yet to come.

Recall that the Ama 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.

President Buhari While receiving the report, 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.

The organised Labour recently said, no votes for the governors that refused to implement the N30,000 Minimum Wage, saying that the figure was a result of compromise.

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