FG rejects state governors’ N22,500 minimum wage proposal

The Federal Government on Wednesday made it known that  it was not in support of the N22,500 minimum wage proposed by the Nigeria Governors Forum.

The governors of Nigeria’s 36 states after an emergency meeting on Tuesday said they could only pay N22,500 as the new national minimum wage.

“Governors, therefore, agreed to pay a national minimum wage of N22,500,” Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari Abubakar,
Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum said in a statement.

While the country’s labour unions are demanding a minimum wage of N30,000 and have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.

Less than 24 hours after the NGF declaration, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said, “The governors have not even done enough. I told them that this N22,500 was even rejected by the Federal Government,” he said.

He criticised the governors for the proposed amount saying N22,500 is even below the N24,000 agreement by the Federal Government.

He, however, said that all parties on the ground would resume negotiations to see that the welfare of the workers is met.

On October 10, the Federal Government proposed N24,000 to the labour unions as the new minimum wage which was not accepted by the Unions.