The National Council of State says it will announce its final stance on the proposed N30,000 minimum wage on January 22, 2019.
This was disclosed by Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment while speaking with State House correspondents after the National Economic Council meeting held on Thursday.
Ngige maintained that the government cannot take a unilateral decision on the minimum wage, noting that the state governors have to be carried along in the process.
He said: “The information minister told you the other day after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that we are taking our deliberations to the National Economic Council and then we close up on January 22 at the National Council of State.
“After that, we will be able to say where we are going.
“It is not a question of governors saying they cannot pay N30,000; discussions are still ongoing and will terminate on January 22, when we meet with the National Council of State.
“Governors are part of Nigeria and they are part of the government’s side of the public sector; so do not disengage them or disarticulate them from the Federal Government.”
The labour unions and the government had reached a consensus over the minimum wage after a long stretch of back-and-forth deliberations.
