In order to boost the livelihood of Nigerian citizens, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said that the incoming administration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, should review the current minimum wage of N30,000 currently obtainable in the country.
Ngige made the call during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, where he further mentioned that he would include in his handover notes that the discussion surrounding minimum wage should start immediately after the new government is sworn-in in May 2023, ahead of its implementation, which he said should be in May 2024.
In his words, the minister said: “It is a tripartite negotiation involving the public sector, private sector and state governments. We entrenched in that bill or law that minimum wage will now have an automaticity of review every five years.
“So, from 2019 when it came into effect to 2024 will be five years but we also made a recommendation in our document which we submitted that the discussion, the negotiation should start one year from May 2024 when it is supposed to kick-start.
“So, I’m envisaging that as from May 2023, the government will empanel the new minimum wage review committee for the nation.
“In my handover note which I am going to hand over to the transition committee and the next government, I am recommending that the discussions start anytime from May 2023.”
Speaking about the pay rise for civil servants which would take effect from January 1, 2023, he added: “In the Presidential Committee on Salaries, we have done something for the civil servants for those who are on Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure and some corporations, MDAs that are on that CONPSS. CONPSS is the salary scale for civil servants.
“We put a percentage for the President to approve, we have approved it at our own committee level. We said it should take effect from January 1, 2023.”
