President Bola Tinubu expressed frustration on Wednesday over the delay in constituting the committee responsible for reviewing the current N30,000 national minimum wage, which is set to expire in March.
With the deadline for a new living wage set for April, there are concerns about meeting the timeline.
While the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has already formed its delegation for negotiations, the Federal Government’s team remains absent. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) shoulders the responsibility for setting up the committee, but there has been little to no progress made.
According to a reliable source within the Presidency, President Tinubu was displeased with the progress during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. “The President was fuming that up till now the new Minimum Wage Committee is not constituted,” the source revealed. However, they assured that “within one week the committee will be in place.”
On whether the committee can finalise the review and implement a new minimum wage by the April target, the source said: “The government will meet up with the April date. Government is making every effort that there is a cordial relationship between the government and labour.”
The NLC has previously accused the government of reneging on promises. The source acknowledged these concerns but pledged renewed cooperation.
