Governors across the 36 states of the federation will on Friday meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the new minimum wage controversy.
This was made known on Thursday by the Head, Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, Mr. Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, when he spoke with journalists in Abuja.
According to him, the new minimum wage issue would likely be resolved before the end of the year.
His words: “The meeting resolved to meet the president on the issue of the minimum wage which hopefully will be resolved before the end of the year.”
He added that the meeting with the president would also be to thank him for the way he had handled the economy.
Describing the governors’ meeting as a short one, he said it “welcomed the newest governor in its midst, the Osun State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.”
It would be recalled that the governors met with the president last month over the new minimum wage.
The meeting bordered on the N30,000 suggested by the tripartite committee set up on the new minimum wage.
The Ama Pepple-led tripartite committee set up by the Federal Government to determine the new minimum wage had suggested N30,000, an amount which governors had said they would not be able to pay.
The president, while receiving the report of the committee, had indicated that he would work on it and pass it to the Legislature for the necessary approval.
But the governors insisted that most of the states did not have the resources to pay the amount.
Rising from an emergency meeting last month, the governors said they would set up a committee to meet with Buhari.
They argued that the states would go bankrupt if they had to pay N30,000.
According to the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, only Lagos State government could afford to pay such amount.
After the meeting with the president, the governors refused to state the outcome of the meeting with the president.
In the same development, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, has called for the implementation of the new minimum wage in January.
He said the implementation would boost economic activities in the country.
According to the president of the association, Mr Muhammed Yunusa, who spoke after its meeting on Thursday in Lagos, all formalities should be concluded latest December 31 so that implementation would start January 1.
“Payment of the agreed new minimum wage will increase total demand and ultimately stimulate economic activities.
“Government should be focused on how to broaden the nation’s revenue base, ensure the viability of the states of the federation and curb or eliminate wastages,” he said.
