SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, (THEWILL) – Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Governor Abdul’Aizz Yari of Zamfara state has told State House correspondents that its meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was inconclusive.
THEWILL recalls that Osinbajo, on Monday, met with some state governors and ministers over the minimum wage demanded by the organised labour in the country.
The meeting held behind closed doors on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The Federal Government convened the meeting one week after the organised labour threatened to embark on a fresh nationwide strike on November 6.
The labour movement had earlier on Sept. 26, embarked on a warning strike, which was suspended on Sept. 30.
The labour body had disclosed its next move in a statement jointly signed by the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on October 21.
It explained that the decision was necessary following what it described as the government’s unwillingness to implement a new minimum wage for workers in the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, and Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, attended the meeting.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, were also present.
The meeting also had in attendance Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as well as his Plateau and Kebbi counterparts, Simon Lalong and Atiku Bagudu.
Governor Yari disclosed that an emergency meeting of the Governors’ Forum would be convened on Tuesday saying although the governors were willing to pay the N30,000 new minimum wage demanded by workers, they lacked the capacity to do so.
Discussions at the meeting, according to him, will focus on finalising agreements on an exact minimum wage the states are willing to pay their workers.
Yari said: “the position of the governors is not very clear to some of you – that we are willing to pay the amount but the issue is the capacity– the muscle to pay.
“We discussed that government has some numbers and eventually the committee has given some proposals but the governors have not come out with any amount.
“So we are going to discuss with governors and say: look at what labour is sending.
“Look at the bill that was directed by the minister of labour and employment to be sent to the NGF’s secretariat so that we can digest the content of the bill; discuss it and come up with our position as governors because we are critical partners on this.”
