The 36 state governors, on the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, met to brainstorm on the national minimum wage as being discussed by tripartite committee on the issue, resolving that they will continue to engage with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution.
Rising from a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday and into on Thursday, the governors promised to remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations.
The meeting, which took place at the National Secretariat of the NGF in Abuja to discuss the update on the issue and to be on the same page, started at past 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and ended at past 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Roll call
At the meeting were governors of Oyo; Zamfara; Anambra, Delta, Gombe States, Kano, Imo, Kwara, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Ogun States, among others.
Deputy Governors of Akwa Ibom, Osun, Borno States, others were also at the meeting.
In a communique signed at the end of the meeting by the NGF Chairman and governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the state executive officers said, “The Forum discussed the New National Minimum Wage.
“The Governors agreed to continue engaging with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution.
“We remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations.”
Other issues that formed the agenda at the meeting were the local government autonomy as welll as NC-CARES disbursement to the states.
The items on the agenda for the physical meeting were Chairman’s Welcome Remarks; Minutes of the Last Meeting; Matters Arising/ Chairman’s Briefs Local Government Autonomy Update ll; ECA, PPT & Royalties Accounts Reconciliation/Debt Net-Off — Update and Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage — Update; Review of NEC Agenda.
Others are Update by NGF Secretariat — Ag. Director General; Program Updates, Health/HCD F. PresentationsWorld Bank NG-CARES, SABER, Nigeria for Women) — Taimur Samad, Ag. Country; Presidential; briefing by the Minister of Women Affairs, and AOB.
Minimum wage saga
Recall that talks for a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers have been on for a while. The Minimum Wage Act of 2019, which made ₦30,000 the minimum wage, expired in April 2024.
The Act should be reviewed every five years to meet with contemporary economic demands of workers.
President Bola Tinubu in January had set up a Tripartite Committee to negotiate a new minimum wage for workers. The committee comprises the Organised Labour, representatives of federal and state governments as well as the Organised Private Sector.
However, the committee members failed to reach an agreement on a new realistic minimum wage for workers, forcing labour to declare an indefinite industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024.
Businesses were paralysed as labour shut down airports, hospitals, the national grid, banks, National Assembly, and state assemblies’ complexes.
The labour unions had said that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 can no longer cater to the well-being of an average Nigerian worker, saying the government should offer workers something economically realistic in tandem with current inflationary pressures, attendant effects of the twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex windows of the current administration.
At the end of the day Labour relaxed its strike on June 4, 2024, following assurances from the President that he was committed to a wage above ₦60,000.
Both the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leadership subsequently resumed talks with the representatives of the Federal Government, states, and the Organised Private Sector.
FG, Labour meet
On Friday, June 7, 2024, the two sides (labour and the government) still failed to reach an agreement. While labour dropped again its demand from ₦494,000 to ₦250,000, the government added ₦2,000 to its initial ₦60,000 and offered workers ₦62,000.
Also recall that both sides had submitted their reports to the President who was expected to make a decision and send an executive bill to the National Assembly to pass a new minimum wage bill to be signed into law by the President.
In his Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024, President Tinubu assured the Organised Labour that an executive bill on the new national minimum wage for workers would soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage.
The President who was expected to make a decision on the ₦62,000 proposal of the government and private sector side; and the ₦250,000 demand of the Organised Labour, also said this week that he would carry out a wider consultation on the matter.
LG autonomy
Recall that on the Local Government Autonomy, the federal Government had last month instituted a legal action against the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas, LGAs.
FG, in the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, which was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, is seeking full autonomy for all LGAs in the country as the third tier of government.
It specifically prayed the apex court to issue an order, prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
As well as for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
Besides, FG, prayed the Supreme Court for an order, stopping governors from further constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the Constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system.
Governors’ communique
The communique at the end of the meeting of the NGF read, “We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our meeting held today, deliberated on issues affecting the country.
“Members received the Acting Country Director of the World Bank, Mr. Taimur Samad and his team to discuss the Bank’s various programmes currently being implemented in the States, including HOPE – Series of Projects: Nigeria Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equality, Food and Nutrition Security, NFWP-SU: Nigeria For Women Project Scale Up, NG-CARES: Nigeria Community Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus Program, SABER: State Action on Business Enabling Reforms Program, SPIN: Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project. Members expressed willingness to continue to provide the much-needed support to ensure programme effectiveness across the country.
“Members received a briefing from Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms Committee.
“He highlighted the progress made regarding the ongoing Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
“He sought the input and support of their excellencies on a number of proposals which would directly impact the subnational level of government. Members pledged their support for the Committee to ensure the successful implementation of these reforms and to collaborate closely to address any challenges that may arise.
“The Forum received a presentation from the Honorable Minister of Women Affairs on the World Bank–Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up, along with other activities of the
Ministry.
“Members noted the importance of the project and emphasized the need to implement it at the State level as initially conceived, as the States are the primary obligors of the project.
“The governors acknowledge the work and contributions of the Ministry of Women Affairs in promoting gender equality, empowering women, and advancing social development across Nigeria.
“The Forum discussed the New National Minimum Wage. The Governors agreed to continue engaging with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution. We remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations.”
