President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday, asked the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, speaking with journalists in Abuja, said the President had a meeting with the representatives of the Federal Government in the negotiation with the labour on the minimum wage.
According to Idris, the President directed Edun to do the numbers and present the new minimum wage figures within two days, adding that the presentation would form the basis of negotiation.
He added that the federal government is not against an increase in the minimum wage but wants to ensure that its promises are fulfilled.
“We were all there to look at all issues, and the President has directed the Minister of Finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today and tomorrow so that we can have figures ready for negotiation with labour.
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“Let me say that the president is determined to go with what the committee has said, and he’s also looking at the welfare of Nigerians.
“The government is not an opponent of labour discussions or wage increases,” he said.
The President, he said, directed that the committee should work together to give Nigerians an “affordable, sustainable, and realistic” minimum wage.
“All of us will work together assiduously within the next one week to ensure that we have a new wage for Nigeria that is acceptable, sustainable, and also realistic,” he added.
The Organised Labour had “relaxed” its indefinite strike action for one week to negotiate with the federal government on a new minimum wage.
They had declared an indefinite strike, which started on Monday, over the failure of the Federal Government to meet their minimum wage demand.
