Again, FG, govs fail to agree on new minimum wage

Www.guardian.ng • Labour holds national mourning, rules out fresh talks

Osinbajo reiterates govt’s commitment to poverty eradication

AMEETING yesterday between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and state governors to agree on a new national wage again stalemated.

While organised labour is insisting on N30,000, the Federal Government wants to pay N24,000 and the states still undecided.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Zamfara chief executive, Abdul’aizz Yari, said they were willing to pay but lacked the capacity.

He, however, disclosed that an emergency meeting of the forum would hold today and brief the vice president and the Economic Management Team on their stance.

The NGF boss maintained that “the governors still haven’t come out with any figure.”

Addressing reporters at the end of the gathering, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had said the stakeholders had a fruitful deliberation.

He had equally told newsmen on Friday that both parties would take a final position on the issue at the meeting.

A source said the state chief executives were not comfortable with the N24,000 figure by government when some of them could not pay the current N18,000.

Ahead of the November 6 industrial action, labour will today hold a national outrage and mourning to bring their plight to the notice of Nigerians.

The move was agreed at a meeting of leaders of the three labour centres, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union of Congress of Nigeria (TUC), and United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC).

They further resolved that on Friday, November 2, a joint Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the trio would hold, the first of its kind, to receive reports and finalise for an ‘ultimate engagement’ with government on the issue to show the seriousness of workers and their leadership.

The information was contained in a circular to ULC affiliates and state councils through its Deputy General Secretary, Chris Oyeka.

However, NLC has ruled out fresh negotiation on the matter.

Its president, Ayuba Wabba, told that the organised labour was not invited to the meeting that took place between Osinbajo and the governors.

He insisted that the tripartite committee had concluded its work and labour would not involve itself in any negotiation that does not fall within the ambience of negotiated figure.

Besides, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Federal Government to avert the looming strike.

The Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement, also pleaded with the unionists on the Yuletide timing amid his acceptance that their grievance was legitimate. According to him, a strike could affect both the supply and distribution of petroleum products.

VPresident Yemi Osinbajo has reiterated the determination of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to free Nigerians from poverty.

During a programme in Abuja, he stressed that all government’s efforts and projects were to achieve the objective.

On the Trader Moni scheme where a petty trader is given a loan of N10,000 with six months to repay, Osinbajo said the target was to empower two million downtrodden traders.

He explained that once a beneficiary pays back, he or she automatically qualifies for a N15,000 facility and goes on until one is qualify for a N350,000 loan. The vice president recalled that on assumption of office in 2015, the current government met 23 states owing salaries in the midst of oil boom.