News
Presidency denies N105,000 pay as Labour awaits Tinubu’s offer
The Presidency on Thursday denied reports that the Federal Government was proposing N105,000 as the new minimum wage.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the report as false.
The report followed the presentation of the cost implications of implementing a new national minimum wage to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.
The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, submitted the template to the President alongside the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
Edun confirmed submitting the template to the President and reassured that ‘there is no cause for alarm’ when questioned about the figure.
Tinubu was said to be currently reviewing the proposal, and an official announcement is expected soon.
However, the development triggered speculations that the finance minister proposed N105,000 in the new minimum wage template.
Onanuga punctured the claim in a post on his X account.
The presidential aide wrote, “The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, has not proposed N105,000 minimum wage. The contrary story being disseminated is false.”
Meanwhile, the meeting of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage was again adjourned till Friday (today) due to the unavailability of the cost template on the new minimum wage.
This was the second time in 24 hours that the committee session had been postponed.
On Wednesday, the Federal Government and Organised Labour adjourned the minimum wage talks till Thursday in anticipation of the template.
On Tuesday, Tinubu directed the finance minister to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage within two days.
The President gave the order at a meeting with the government negotiation team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Though the finance minister submitted the template to the President earlier on Thursday, the proposal was not presented to the Federal Government and Labour representatives, who met for over two hours and adjourned their session until today.
Senior labour movement members told The PUNCH on Thursday that the committee meeting did not record any meaningful progress because the president’s offer was not presented to the parties.
A member of the committee who is also a leader of the Nigeria Labour Congress said though the union was aware that a proposal had been submitted to the President, it was becoming jittery as its ultimatum expires on Monday.
Speaking anonymously because the committee deliberation was confidential, the labour leader stated, “We have adjourned. Nothing has been presented. We were hearing rumours that something had been given to the President.
“We are getting jittery now because we have only one week, which expires on Monday. We are getting jittery, but this country is in distress. Looking at the economic situation now, it is a problem. Let us see what they bring up tomorrow (today) by 4:00 pm.”
Following the slow pace of talks on the new minimum wage and the government’s failure to reverse the electricity tariff hike, Labour embarked on an indefinite strike on Monday, grounding economic activities nationwide.
Banks, airports, public schools and courts were shut, forcing the Federal Government to convene an emergency meeting to find a way out of the impasse.
In a bid to move the negotiation forward, the unions announced Tuesday the suspension of industrial action for five days after the President agreed to pay a national minimum wage higher than N60,000. The tripartite committee pledged its readiness to convene daily until a new minimum wage is announced.
The suspension of the strike followed a six-hour meeting between the labour leadership and the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday night.
To fast-track the negotiation, the President on Tuesday directed the finance minister to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage within two days.
Tinubu also directed the government representatives to work collectively with the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to achieve a new affordable wage award for Nigerians.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the development at a press conference in Abuja.
Idris assured of the president’s readiness to accept the committee’s resolutions, adding, “The president is determined to go with what the committee has said, and he’s also looking at the welfare of Nigerians.’’
Furthermore, he said the President directed the government representatives to work collectively with the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to achieve a new affordable wage award for Nigerians.
In response to the President’s intervention, Labour said it had ‘relaxed’ its strike for one week to enable fruitful negotiations with the Federal Government on the minimum wage.
The NLC and TUC stated this in a communique issued on Tuesday after a joint National Executive Council meeting.
PUNCH
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has began airlifting the sensitive election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Benin, Edo State, ahead of the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali.
The operation is part of the NAF’s efforts to ensure the timely and secure delivery of materials necessary for a smooth electoral process.
This development reinforces the collaboration between NAF and INEC to facilitate logistics and ensure a peaceful election in Edo State.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, had previously reiterated NAF’s commitment to providing airlift support for the swift movement of electoral materials during a meeting with INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
This airlift operation is a crucial aspect of NAF’s constitutional responsibility to provide Military Aid to Civil Authority, underscoring the force’s dedication to supporting democratic processes in Nigeria. With the election just days away, the NAF’s timely intervention will help ensure the successful conduct of the governorship elections in Edo State.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had earlier accused the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, of working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hunt the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and supporters in the state and force them into hiding ahead of September 21 governorship election.
Obaseki, who made the allegation when a delegation led by the former Head of State, Abdusalam Abubakar, met with him to get the governor and his party to sign peace accord, said that the IGP had made nonsense of his (Obaseki’s) role as the chief security officer of the state.
The governor had said that the police chief obtained a warrant to arrest 60 members and supporters of PDP in Edo and that the IGP sent an armed “gang” of policemen who invaded the state, attacked PDP members, shot at a local government chairman and arrested 10 persons who are currently being detained in Abuja without charges.
Asked by the former head of state if his party would sign the peace accord, Obaseki said, “The person who is supposed to enforce the peace accord is now an active participant in creating a destructive environment.
“We are now in a situation where from the Inspector General’s office, there are armed gang policemen who came into Edo State, invaded, arrested and took away PDP members.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has given reasons why he loves dancing.
The ‘Dancing Governor’, as he is fondly called, revealed this on Wednesday while responding to a tweet on X.
An X user, @Iwogoke, while praising the governor, stated that Adeleke has been busy fulfilling his electoral promises to the people of Osun State, while his political opponents believe he is only good at dancing.
Iwogoke tweeted, “I’m not flattering you, Your Excellency, your opponents think you can only dance but while they are busy shouting and calling you ‘Dancing Governor’, you are busy fulfilling your electoral promises to the people.”
Responding to the tweet via his verified X account, Adeleke explained that he loves dancing because it brings him joy.
Speaking further on his love for dancing, Adeleke highlighted that while dancing brings him immense happiness, his greater fulfilment comes from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Osun.
Outlining his administration’s efforts to enhance the state’s infrastructure, he noted that primary health centre rehabilitation is underway in at least 200 out of the 332 wards across Osun State, adding that road construction projects are also progressing in every local government area.
He wrote, “Dancing gives me joy, but delivering on my electoral promises and providing the dividends of democracy to the good people of Osun gives me even greater joy. Rehabilitation of primary health centers is ongoing in at least 200 out of 332 wards, and road construction is progressing in every Local Government!”
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