The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has agreed to pay the sum of twenty-two thousand, five hundred naira as new minimum wage for workers, as against the existing eighteen thousand naira. Chairman of the Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
He explained that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the governors where they deliberated on the new minimum wage after a briefing from the forum’s representatives at the Tripartite Committee.
The governor noted that the welfare of the people is the ultimate concern for the forum, lamenting the deteriorating economic situation experienced by the vulnerable segment of the populace.
Before agreeing to a figure, he explained that the governors considered the stride of development in their states, particularly in health, education and infrastructure. Governor Yari added that the meeting did not take a position that would only reflect a figure, but also a sustainable strategy based on the ability and capacity of the states to pay.
The organised labour had demanded N30,000 as new minimum wage but the NGF said most of its members do not have the capacity to pay the sum. As series of negotiations and meetings between the government and labour leaders ended in a deadlock, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) threatened to embark on a fresh nationwide strike on November 6.
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