President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated a 30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers. The inauguration held inside the council chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. It was attended by governors and senior government officials.
All Progressives Congress governors, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Simon Lalong of Plateau, who are members of the 30-member committee, attended the inauguration. Two of their PDP colleagues, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe, who are also members of the committee, were notably absent. Mr. Buhari said in his remarks that the inauguration of the committee followed the recommendation of a technical committee put in place after the increase in the price of petrol in 2016. The president also said the current minimum wage being used in the country has already expired.
He said after the completion of the work of the committee, an executive bill would be sent to the National Assembly “to undergo scrutiny before being passed into law”. By its tripartite nature, the committee is made up of persons from the public sector, (federal and state governments) and the private sector made up of the largest private employer group, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME).
The committee has a former Head of Service and Minister of Housing, Ama Pepple, as chairperson, while the current Minister of Labour and employment, Chris Ngige, will serve as deputy chairman. The chairman,National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Richard Egbule, will serve as the secretary of the committee.
Other members of the committee are Udoma Udoma, Minister, Budget and Planning; Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance; Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; and Roy Ugo, the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, is equally represented in the committee by the select APC and PDP governors.
The DG of NGF, Asishana Okauru, will serve as an observer. On the Trade Union side are the President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba, who leads a team comprising Peters Adeyemi, Kiri Mohammed, Amechi Asugwuni and Peter Ozo-Eson.
The Trade Union Congress is led by its President, Bobboi Kaigama, and other members including Sunday Salako and Alade Lawa.
The President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Igwe Achese, is also a member.
On the employers’ side are Olusegun Oshinowo, Director General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, as well as Timothy Olawale and Chuma Nwankwo.
The Director General, Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, Olubunmi Adekoje; Chairman, Kaduna East Branch, Manufacturers Association, MAN, Ahmed Gobir; and Francis Oluwagbenro also from MAN are members.
Source: News agencies
