Minimum Wage: FG shifts ground on N60,000; Army denies alleged deployment of soldiers at meeting venue

Global Patriot Staff June 4, 2024 Lead Story, Local, News, Security Report Leave a comment 247 Views

By Okon Okon/Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, June 3, 2024

The Federal Government says, in the national interest, it is ready to offer higher than N60,000 national minimum wage it earlier proposed to the tripartite committee deliberating on the issue.

The government’s decision was disclosed at a meeting of the committee convened Monday night by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, after the organised labour embarked on indefinite strike to press its demand on the national minimum wage.

In a circular jointly issued by the committee members at the end of the meeting, and made available to newsmen, it was disclosed that President Bola Tinubu expressed his commitment to a national minimum wage that is higher than N60,000.

“Arising from the above, the Tripartite Committee is to meet everyday for the next one week with a view to arriving at an agreeable national minimum wage.

“Labour in deference to the high esteem of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s commitment in above undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment.

“The committee also resolved that no worker will be victimised as a result of the industrial action,” the circular read in part.

In attendance at the meeting were: Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation and Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment for the government and Joe Ajaero, President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Festus Osifo, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), for the Organised Labour.

It will be recalled that following the negotiation by the tripartite committee on national minimum wage and subsequent withdrawal of Labour from the negotiations and it’s indefinite strike, the government had convened the meeting with labour.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has debunked claims by the NLC that soldiers had surrounded the venue of the meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour on Monday night.

The Army, in a post on its official X handle on Monday, said the soldiers at the venue were military escorts attached to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

It said the NSA, who was also attending the meeting, arrived at the venue with his retinue of statutorily approved military escorts.

According to the statement, once the meeting is over, the escorts will lead the NSA from the venue.

The army urged members of the public to disregard what it described as deliberate and misleading falsehood being peddled about the presence of the escorts at the meeting.

“The attention of Army Headquarters has been drawn to a false breaking news by NLC alleging that soldiers currently surround the venue of the ongoing meeting between NLC and the SGF.

“Kindly note that the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who is also attending the meeting, arrived at the meeting venue with his retinue of statutorily approved military escorts.

“Once the meeting is over, the escorts will lead the NSA from the venue,” it said.

The NLC had earlier made a post on its X handle alleging that soldiers were surrounding the venue of the meeting between them and government at the premises of the SGF.