The National Council of State on Tuesday held it’s first meeting of the year where it approved N27, 000 as the new minimum wage.
Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, said the federal government will increase the approved amount to 30,000 for workers in the federal civil service, adding that state governors are at liberty to add to the approved amount if they so desire.
In December 2018, the tripartite committee had recommended N30, 000 as minimum wage.
Reacting, state governors had fixed N22, 500 as the amount they could comfortably pay their workers.
Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, head, media and public affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), had said:
“times are hard and because of financial constraints and other limitations” many states cannot afford N30, 000.
“The N22,500 was arrived at, after extensive deliberations among all 36 governors, outlining their financial capacities and liquidity, considering the economic situation of the country and the states’ other obligations to the majority of the people of their various domains.
“Governors also emphasized that N22,500 is a ‘baseline threshold’, meaning that any governor who can pay more than N22.500 is therefore free to go ahead and do so.”
The Nigerian Council of State is an organ of Government that advises the executive on policy making amongst other things. It can advise the President in the exercise of his powers with respect to:
– National population census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other information concerning the same;
– Prerogative of mercy;
– Award of national honours;
– The Independent National Electoral Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);
– The National Judicial Council (including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of that Council);
– The National Population Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission); and
– Advise the President whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the Federation or any part thereof and on such other matters as the President may direct.
The Council of State consists of the following persons:
President, who is the Chairman, Vice-President, who is the Deputy Chairman; all former Presidents of the Federation and all former Heads of the Government of the Federation; all former Chief Justices of Nigeria; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives, all the Governors of the states of the Federation, and Attorney-General of the Federation.
More photos from the meeting below:
