No New Figure On Minimum Wage Was Proposed By FG — NLC

Joe Ajaero, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has denied claims that the Federal Government had proposed N105,000 as the new minimum wage, he said the NLC had not been presented with a new offer.

Following the June 3rd nationwide strike by the NLC, which was “relaxed” due to the federal government’s call for renegotiation, rumours emerged that the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, had proposed a minimum wage of N105,000 to the president.

Ajaero denied the claims on Thursday after a meeting with the Tripartite committee to discuss a new minimum wage in addition to the ₦60,000 previously proposed by the committee but was rejected by the NLC.

There are no figures yet. They [the Federal Government] did not present it to the Tripartite committee,” Ajaero said.

He stressed that no offer had been placed before the union officially or unofficially. “We [NLC and FG] are still in our positions. Until it is made public and discussed, we can’t say the government has a position on the new minimum wage figure,” he said.

Also, in corroboration of Ajaero’s testimony on the government’s position, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, while speaking to journalists, reiterated that negotiation is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the 10th Senate Speaker, Godswill Akpabio, had criticised and issued a subtle threat to make industrial action in the country illegal, as he claimed the recent strike sabotaged Nigeria’s economy.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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