President Bola Tinubu has announced that the Nigerian government will pay a minimum wage that it can sustain.
He made this statement on Wednesday night during a meeting with governors and members of the national assembly at the State House, marking the 25th anniversary of Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Earlier that day, Tinubu addressed the nation, saying the government had discussions with labour unions about a new national minimum wage in a fair and open manner.
He also mentioned that an executive bill would be sent to the national assembly to make the agreed minimum wage a law for the next five years or less.
The government suggested a new minimum wage of N62,000, but labour unions demanded N250,000.
Labour unions, however, said they had not reached an agreement with the government on the minimum wage.
During the State House meeting, Tinubu reiterated that the government would pay what it could afford.
He said, “Senate president, deputy senate president, you will get a notice from me if I have changed my mind on minimum wage. We are going to do it — what Nigeria can afford, what you can afford, what I can afford. They ask you to cut your coat according to your size, if you have size at all.”
He also praised the governors for their efforts to improve the people’s welfare, expressing gratitude, saying, “My sincere gratitude to all of you standing by me. I promise you, I won’t fail. Nigeria is a great country.”
He specifically mentioned governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Alex Otti of Abia, and Ahmed Ododo of Kogi, thanking them for their service.
Tinubu also addressed the importance of national unity and the need to promote good values among youths to reduce violence and crime, while praising customs officers who recently refused bribes from suspected vandals of railway tracks.
“We have a lot of work that we must do about our county, about our citizens. Citizenship is not just the dictionary meaning of it, it is the actual character in us to teach these to achieve it,” Tinubu concluded.
