Minimum Wage: Governors to meet Buhari again

The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari again over the issue of new minimum wage.

The forum took the decision at its last meeting for 2018, presided by the chairman of Forum and Governor of Zamafara State, Abdulaziz Yari, on Thursday night in Abuja.

Yari however declined speaking with journalists after the meeting.

But the NGF Head, Media and Public Affairs, Mr Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, told newsmen at the end of the meeting that the governors resolved to meet the president on Friday.

“It was a very short meeting, of course the very last one for the year, the meeting welcomed the newest governor in its midst, the Osun state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.

“The meeting resolved to meet the president on the issue of the minimum wage which hopefully will be resolved before the end of the year.

“The governors are also meeting the president tomorrow to thank him for the way he has handle the economy,” Barkindo said.

Our correspondent reports that the governors had offered to pay N22,500 while the federal government want to pay N24,000 against the N30,000 being demanded by the organized labour.

The forum at its last meeting set up a committee to meet with Buhari to canvass its position, which it stated was not reflected in the report of the Tripartite Committee submitted to the president.

Oyetola earlier in an interview with newsmen commended the meeting, saying it offered the governors opportunity to peer review each other and share experiences and best practices.

Some of the governors at the meeting were Edo, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Kwara, Kano, Plateau, Kebbi and Gombe States.

The governors of Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa, Rivers and Nasarawa were represented by their deputies.