No New Minimum Wage in September, Says Ngige

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said the new national minimum wage may not materialise in September as being speculated.

Ngige, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the September date was just a date to conclude negotiation on the issue of minimum wage.

"The committee on the new National Minimum wage is expected to conclude its work by the end of September and present its report to the government for deliberation and approval before an executive bill is sent to the National Assembly on the issue," he said.

The minister, however, said the issue of capacity to pay was also paramount in the deliberations on the minimum wage. 

According to him, it is to get the input of all those concerned including state governments and the organised private sector that the committee embarked on zonal public hearing across the country.

The minister added that in the course of the zonal public hearings, many state governments made different submissions ranging from N22,000 monthly to N58,000. 

He noted that the governors were also of the belief that for the new minimum wage to become effective, the current revenue allocation formula would have to be reviewed in favour of the states and local government. 

● NAN