The Nigerian federal government has maintained that the N62,000 monthly minimum salary offer recommended by President Tinubu’s tripartite committee was made after considering national interests and existing economic indicators.
Senator Atiku Bagudu, Minister of National Budget and Economic Planning, and Alhaji Bukar Aji, Chairman of the 37-man Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, spoke to THISDAY in separate interviews in Abuja.
However, organised labour rejected the committee’s suggestion to the president during its meeting on Friday night, insisting on N250,000 as an appropriate national minimum wage.
In an interview, Bagudu claimed that members of the committee considered the current economic condition, information, data, national interest, political developments, macroeconomic trends, and the administration’s continuing economic reforms before arriving at the amount. He stated,
“This is what we have done; I was a member of the 2018 tripartite committee and then a governor representing the state governors. And views were varied in that committee, just as they were in the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and organised labour at the time. And, just like now, we sent a report to Mr. President.
So, I’m delighted that democratic rights were exercised. Mr. President has been encouraged, and what has happened demonstrates that this is a process in which you present your best position. Labour has participated, and they have provided many points of view and arguments, which we will forward to Mr President.”
Bagudu’s position was mirrored by Aji, a former Head of the Federation’s Civil Service (HoSF). Aji stated that the committee’s recommendation to Tinubu, which will be referred to the National Assembly for passage as the National Minimum Wage Act, was the product of a “deeper understanding and deeper study of all the economic indices.”
He also stated that caution was exercised to avoid recommending a figure that would further confuse the people. According to Aji, “We looked at all of the economic indicators, the present inflation scenario, the state of the economy, affordability, ability, capability, and sustainability.
Caution had been exercised throughout, ensuring that a figure that would further confuse the country was not permitted. “This is because if any side enters into an agreement for a figure that it knows from its sources that it cannot afford, it will produce another problem. But I thank God that all wisdom came together, and the suggestion to Mr. President is headed in that path.”
He described the discussion of the national minimum wage at the tripartite level with organised labour and the organised private sector over the last four months as serious business.
Aji compared the suggestions given to the president to those made in 2018, when organised labour requested N30,000 as the national minimum wage, while the government proposed N24,000.
He stated that the tripartite committee had no authority to approve but could only recommend to the president.