By Festus Fifen

As the Impasse between Organized Labour and the Nigeria Government takes the Centre Stage in National discussions, President Bola Tinubu is set to engage in further consultations on the new national minimum wage before presenting an executive bill to the National Assembly.

Addressing State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over the President, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris stated that the Council deliberated on the matter and decided to step down the memo to enable the President to consult with state governors, the organised private sector, and organised labour.

Idris emphasised that the new national minimum wage is not just an issue for the Federal Government, but also affects State Governments, local governments, and the private sector.

The Minister assured that President Tinubu will have an informed position after wider consultations, as the new national minimum wage is a national issue that requires input from all stakeholders.

The decision comes amid ongoing negotiations between the government and labour unions on a new minimum wage.

The Tripartite Committee meeting on new national minimum wage, the government team and the organized private sector offered N62,000 from the current N30,000 at the end of the meeting but the organized labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, demanded N250,000 living wage.

The government had warned that such a high figure could lead to mass retrenchment and undermine the economy.

The Minister of Information urged labour unions to consider the broader economic implications and the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.

He highlighted the government’s efforts to alleviate the cost of living through initiatives like the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas programme.

The decision of the President to consult the relevant stakeholders is coming on the heels of the statement by the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, where he said that the organized labour had expected the President to reach out to the members of the Tripartite Committee to harmonize the figure.

Ajaero had hinged his position on the fact that there was a stalemate at the end of the Tripartite Committee meeting.

Idris said, “I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that (report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage) and the decision is that because 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 the organized private sector and of course, including the organized Labour.

“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr. President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly, before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.

“So I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr. President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, like I said, is not just an issue of the federal government.

“It affects the state governments, it affects the local governments, it also affects the organized private sector, and that is why it is called national minimum wage. It’s not just an affair of the federal government.

“So, Mr. President has studied the report and he’s going to consult wider before a final submission is being made to the National Assembly.”