Minimum Wage: The Actual Amount Tinubu’s Govt, Labour May Settle for Emerges

• The federal government’s negotiating team and leaders of the national assembly have reportedly adopted N70,000 as the new national minimum wage
• A member of the tripartite committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said President Bola Tinubu is expected to forward N62,000 but the lawmaker will increase it to N70,000
• The source added that the approach was adopted since Governor Godwin Obaseki has started paying the N70,000 minimum wage in Edo state

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro and government policy

FCT, Abuja - The organised labour and the three tiers of government in Nigeria may end up with a compromise deal of N70,000 new national minimum wage.

There are indications that the national assembly may approve more than the N62,000 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to send to them for approval.

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The federal lawmakers, as they did in 2019 by increasing the minimum wage from N23,000 to N30,000, might raise it to N70,000 as their contribution.

According to ThisDay, a member of the tripartite committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed this.

“This scenario will play out when the national assembly gets the minimum wage bill any moment from now. The role to be played by the national assembly is one of, ‘we feel your pains and therefore considering the economic realities, we are increasing the minimum wage to N70,000’.

“Though some states will still insist that they cannot pay, the federal government will persuade the states to pay and where necessary give the states a bailout that will encourage them to commence payment, in the first instance.”

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The federal government’s negotiating team and leaders of the national assembly were said to have adopted this position since Governor Godwin Obaseki has already started paying the N70,000 minimum wage in Edo state, Arise News reports.

It was also gathered that as part of this compromise, some governors were calling for a new revenue-sharing formula to enable them to pay both the new minimum wage and the consequential adjustments that could follow.

Minimum wage: Labour shares next action

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) disclosed what they would do if President Bola Tinubu proceeds with N62,000 minimum wage.

Organised labour said whatever Tinubu transmits to the National Assembly would determine their next line of action.

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng