President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday assured the nation that his government will take quick steps to act on the report on the New National Minimum Wage, Committee submitted to him.
The President stated this when he received the Bismarck Rewane Committee’s report on the New National Minimum Wage, inaugurated in January 9th, 2019, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The report is coming about one week after the Senate approved N30,000 minimum wage for Federal and State workers across the country.
The President had set up the committee headed by the renown Economist and Businessman, Bismarck Rewane to advise Government on how best to fund, in a sustained manner, the additional costs of implementing the imminent increase in the National Minimum Wage.
The committee was also asked to advise the government “on the consequential increases in salaries and allowances for other employees, without worsening our already difficult fiscal condition, and without adversely impacting the nation’s development goals as set out in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP)”
The terms of reference also included “to propose a work plan and modalities for implementation of the salary increase”
Buhari, while commending the committee made up of former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, Sulieman Barry, Ayo Teriba, and Akpan Ekpo (from the private sector), for their patriotism, and hard work, noted the sacrifices they made in ensuring that the report was delivered before receipt of the minimum wage bill from the National Assembly.
“We will review this report expeditiously, as the process we may need to engage with some members of your committee. I therefore employ you to make your services available whenever we may call on you.”
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Secretary to the government of the Federal, Boss Mustapha, were among those present at the presentation of the report.
Also in attendance were the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, and that of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, as well as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, amongst others.
The organised labour, had in December 2018, rejected any attempt by the Federal Government to set up another committee on the national minimum wage, describing any such plan as diversionary and delay tactics.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
