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Tag: Ngige

  • ASUU gives govt six new conditions to end strike

    ASUU gives govt six new conditions to end strike

    FEC to discuss union’s terms today

    University teachers have presented six new conditions for calling off their two-week old strike.

    But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday pleaded with the lecturers to embrace peace for the sake of innocent students.

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is to discuss today the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and chart the way forward.

    Some of the options include:

    • bringing back ASUU to the negotiation table;
    • allowing the Wale Babalakin Panel to conclude its assignment;
    • suing ASUU to either the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) or the National Industrial Court (NIC); and
    • referring all issues to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, in line with the Trade Dispute law.

    According to a source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, the six conditions were not part of the previous demands  referred to the Babalakin Committee for arbitration.

    The new conditions are that:

    • the Federal Government should immediately  accept payment of shortfall in salaries of universities;
    • universities to manage their IGR the way they like and exemption from TSA;
    • exemption of Endowment Funds, JV cash from TSA;
    • payment of University Salary Scale to teachers in primary schools in universities;
    • release/implementation of guidelines for the retirement of Professors in line with 2009 FG-ASUU Agreement; and
    • waiver/ government fiat to set up Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company

    The source said: “ASUU has brought proposals different from the agreement they reached in the Senate with the Federal Ministry of Education.

    “They are asking the government to take over the shortfall in the salaries of universities when there were glaring cases of abuse of recruitment process and non-compliance with Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS).

    “They want the government to accept liability for the shortfall in spite of the fact that universities acted arbitrarily in increasing their wage bill.

    “The lecturers have also asked the government to manage their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) henceforth instead of remitting such to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in line with their demand for autonomy for universities.”

    But, according to the source, the government does not want to waive the TSA policy for universities. It, however,  expressed readiness to exempt Endowment Funds and Joint Ventures Funds from TSA.

    “In their new demands, the lecturers asked for the issuance of a fiat to the Pension Commission to register the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company.

    “PENCOM has expressed its readiness to register Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company, if ASUU and other stakeholders can quickly address the lapses already highlighted in the registration process. PENCOM is insisting that the guidelines in the 2005 Pension Reforms Act must be fully complied with,” the source said.

    The the government is said to be shocked by ASUU’s fresh request that the Federal Government should pay University Salary Scale to primary school teachers in varsity staff schools.

    It said: “They are saying that the staff school should be allowed to continue to collect tuition fees.”

    “The government has a different approach to the staff school. Apart from retaining its policy that primary education is free under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Scheme, the government is of the opinion that teachers in varsity schools be either paid by the Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC) or be placed under the salary scale of the Federal Ministry of Education or Federal Salary Scale,” the senior government official said.

    “Another demand from ASUU is the release of the guidelines for the retirement of professors in line with 2009 Agreement.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “We believe that ASUU is trying to be difficult with the new conditions after the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had conceded N23billion to pay earned allowances of the lecturers.

    “The ASUU strike will be tabled before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday (today). The FEC will weigh options and chart the way forward.”

    Contacted last night, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige said: “They have brought some proposals different from the demands we are already addressing. I want ASUU to toe the path of peace for the sake of the innocent students in our universities.

    “I am asking ASUU to know that this dispute is already apprehended by this ministry. And when we apprehend a dispute, it is necessary for parties to come for talks and consideration of issues.

    “Going by Section 3 of the Labour Dispute law, any further discussion on ASUU demands should be done with the Federal Ministry of Labour.”

     

  • FG to beef up security in worship centres – Ngige

    FG to beef up security in worship centres – Ngige

    The Federal Government says it will come up with security plans that will guarantee the safety of lives and property in worship centres across the country.

    Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister for Labour and Employment, said this in Amakwa, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo council when he led a delegation to commiserate with the people and government of Anambra State yesterday.

    The delegation was led to St. Philips Catholic Church by Dr Nkem Okeke, Deputy Governor of Anambra and Most Rev. Dr Hillary Okeke, the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese.

    Ngige said the Federal Government would cooperate with Anambra to ensure that the culprits were brought to book.

    The minister, who described the attack as heinous, wicked and sacrilegious, said the delegation would report back to the presidency.

    He said the Federal Government would also work out a security framework that would protect worshipers anywhere in the country.

    Ngige, who was briefed by the Bishop and Parish Priest of the church, Rev. Fr. Jude Onwuaso, said efforts would be made to forestall future recurrence.

    In his remarks, the deputy governor said the church was praying for the repentance of the perpetrators.

    He said government and the security agencies could go ahead with the hunt for the culprits, but as Christians, the diocese was praying that the masterminds should change their ways.

    He called for prayers and support for the victims either directly to the affected families or through the church through its Victims’ Support Fund.

     

  • Ngige to labour: support Employees Compensation Act

    Ngige to labour: support Employees Compensation Act

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige,  has urged organised labour to support the Employees Compensation Act (ECA),  saying it is to promote workers’’- welfare.

    He advised ministries, departments and agencies to cooperate  to realise government objectives.

    The minister made the call in Abuja, while declaring open a two-day retreat with the theme: “Improving service delivery in agencies of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment,” for top management staff of the Labour Ministry and its agencies.

    He added that the retreat was  aimed at improving the capabilities of the management teams for effective goal delivery, noting that the productivity of any organisation rests on its top management.

    He said: “We ask you to go a step further. The Employees Compensation Act being implemented by Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NISTF) is for the benefits of workers and also for their employers. It protects workers from accidents, deaths and disabilities in the course of work.

    “It makes provision for their families to be protected financially too because dependants in families can be trained up to university level while the widows or widowers are given substantial amount of money that can sustain them.

    “It is a social protection that must be exploited by labour, NISTF being a tripartite organisation where labour and employers under the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) have representatives on the board; therefore, active participation of labour is required to ensure the fund is not mismanaged.”

    Ngige added that the public service was expected to redefine its roles, focus and build integrated service delivery models.

    He said all initiatives that would be introduced during the retreat were part of the bigger process of changing the norm in the service, stressing that participants needed to change from an inward-looking bureaucratic culture and focus on improving service delivery to the citizenry.

    Stressing the need for cooperation among the agencies of the government and their parent ministries, he said objectives as well as the processes of their realisation must be in harmony.

    He said: “MDAs should synchronise. In a forum like this, we let the parastatals know that when they say you report to the Ministry, it is not punitive, it is just for policies to flow.”

    Earlier, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, assured that the organised labour would collaborate with the Inspectorate Department of  the ministry to ensure that minimum standards for factory workers were sustained.

    They emphasised the need for effective service delivery to address the alleged maltreatment of workers in some private organisations.

    They advocated the reinforcement of the department to ensure that it is able to carry out effective factory inspections

    They commended the ministry for organising the retreat, saying management staff should use the opportunity to gain knowledge and ensure implementation.

  • Ngige: govt committed to enforcement of Factories Act

    Ngige: govt committed to enforcement of Factories Act

    • Minister urges NECA oto expand n membership drive

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige has expressed concern over the neglect of occupational health and safety in the workplace across the country, saying the government will, henceforth,  enforce Factories Act of 1990 as it concerns occupational health and safety.

    The minister said it was regrettable that the occupational safety and health component of labour had been neglected.

    He said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had drawn their attention to the lack of personnel in the area by most African countries.

    Speaking when a delegation from the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers visited him in his office, the Minister said: “We are geared up towards implementing and enforcing those laws, because we have enough labour laws in this country to cater for occupational Health  and safety of the workers and the employers.

    Meanwhile, Ngige has  called on the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to do more by bringing other employers into their folds.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja, Ngige said NECA needs to work hard to bring others, such as Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) into its fold to ensuring inclusiveness and efficiency.

    He said: “NECA has been in existence for 60 years  and have achieved a lot, but considering the number of years, the responsibilities it’s meant to undertake and the current challenges facing the private sector employment and other labour related issues, I can’t say it has done well enough. I told the DG this in Lagos during their 60 years anniversary, recently celebrated.

    “This is because lots of other groups like MAN, NACCIMA and host of others ought to have been part and parcel of NECA. You can imagine that the just concluded ILO conference was held without these other groups.”

    While speaking on the just-concluded International Labour Conference (ILC), in Geneva, the minister said NECA would have made a robust presentation if others were to be part of the forum.

    He also explained the benefits of Nigeria’s presence at the conference and gains thereof in the positions Nigeria was elected into  various capacity of ILO body.

  • Why composition of minimum wage committee is delayed – Ngige

    Why composition of minimum wage committee is delayed – Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said on Friday that the delay in constituting the National Minimum Wage negotiation Committee was to give all parties ample opportunity to consult widely before appointing their representatives.

    The minister also hinted that the tripartite discussion may not bring about increase in minimum wage, saying “a review does not mean an automatic increase’ in salary.”

    Ngige, who spoke with journalists in his office, said the committee will be constituted before the end of July.

    He pointed out that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum has already forwarded the list of six governors to represent them in the committee.

    The government said in May it has approved the constitution of a 29 -man committee to negotiate the new minimum wage for the country.

    The minister said government would ensure that the minimum wage committee was constituted to kick start the process of negotiation.

    He said: “The secretariat of that minimum wage committee is domiciled in the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission. So by extension the Chairman of the NSIWC becomes the Secretary of that committee.

    “We have written to the organs and subgroups for their nominations and the governors are the first to respond. They have nominated six governors one each from the geopolitical zones. The nominations are being transmitted to the Acting President for his approval.

    “We have also written to NECA for them to consult with Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, and the Small and Medium Scale Industries Employers’ Associations for their own nominations.

    “We have also discussed with the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, for the nominations from the workers group in the last 48 hours. We want to ensure adequate consultations. So it is not true that government is not doing anything. We are hopeful that we will complete everything before the end of the month.”

     

  • From Ojukwu to Ngige: Wither the Nigerian dream?

    From Ojukwu to Ngige: Wither the Nigerian dream?

    Sometime in 2015, I had written that the Igbo should avoid decamping en masse into the victorious All People’s Congress (APC) party. I had good reasons for my position at the time, reasons that have not changed. Primarily, my contention was that of greater importance was for the Igbo to have a clear vision of what they expected from Nigeria; that rather than the makeshift and predictable hobnobbing with the centres of political power and patronage, the Igbo should show character by sacrificing short term material gains by individuals for long term social or group benefits. Nothing in that proposal could translate to isolationism or putting all our eggs in one basket.

    I make the point against the raging controversy over recent comments by the Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige. The minister had admonished his Igbo brothers for putting all their eggs in one basket during the 2015 elections. The minister’s position has drawn the ire of many Igbo individuals and groups. Some of his critics have gone as far as suggesting that he has betrayed the late Igbo leader Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, by joining the APC, conveniently ignoring that his membership of the party predated the current herd mentality that questions, to some extent, the motives of the ‘born again’ joiners.

    But was Ngige wrong in identifying the political miscalculation of the Igbo in 2015? Even if we do not admit it publicly, upon reflection, do the Igbo not admit that they could have been more pragmatic in their electoral behavior even against the background of the political currents of the time? The point is that, in trying to be politically correct, many Igbo political elite can say one thing in the day time and act another in the night. In the end, the poor masses are taken for a ride.

    Let us examine the Ngige matter further. To the best of my knowledge, the saying that one should not count all of one’s eggs in one basket is yet to become obsolete. In fact, contemporary practice is for various ethnic groups to distribute their political risks and fortunes among various parties while aligning electoral behavior and party support between party and candidate. That is how the Yoruba ethnic group has successfully navigated its way through the vagaries of Nigeria’s unpredictable political climate. Let’s not crucify Ngige for telling us the truth unless, perhaps, the Igbo are saying that they intend to repeat the mistake of 2015 at 2019 general elections. That will be inexcusable.

    Commonsense and political reality dictate that the Igbo should be a lot more rigorous in reading the nation’s political barometer, in going into alliances and coalitions, in staking their bet publicly. This is not about soured grapes. No matter how aggrieved we may be, no matter how emotional we want to be, politics will remain what it has always been: the art of the possible. I want to believe that that is what Ngige has advocated.

    Besides, as the minister himself has argued, nothing that he has done can be said to amount to a betrayal of Ojukwu, considered by many as the foremost Igbo leader of all times. After all, was it not the general himself who once thundered that he was ready to go to war again, but only to defend the corporate existence of Nigeria? Didn’t he give practical effect to his declaration by contesting the presidency of Nigeria on at least two occasions? I do not want to get into the argument of whether he won or not or whether he was not rigged out. What is certain is that he believed that reintegrating the Igbo into the mainstream of Nigeria’s political process would take some deliberate effort.

    One can understand the impatience of young school leavers of Igbo extraction who cannot understand why, in spite of very high JAMB scores, they are denied admission so that their counterparts who scored less can read medicine while they wait at home. There is no denying the anguish of the graduate who watches in despair as he is denied a job so that his counterpart from another geo-political zone can be offered the job even when he has a better university degree and interview report. Just as the itinerant Igbo traveller would be hard pressed to understand the explanation as to why the rail lines are not slicing through Igbo heartland that witnesses the highest human traffic in the country. Yes: these are ponderous vicissitudes; in spite of them, we should guard against certain political miscalculations or rushing to crucify those political actors who have the courage and patriotism to say the truth. Nigige is one of such people. Senator Ken Nnamani is another.

    The way I see it, the trend is for many politicians to jump into the Biafra bandwagon just because some political capital can be made from it now. Had President Muhammadu Buhari not made the mistake of arresting Nnamdi Kanu, had he allowed him freedom to operate on the streets without guns, had he not turned a relatively unknown activist, who was legitimately bemoaning the plight of his people, into a celeb overnight, who would have been struggling to take photographs with him, including lavishing dollars and SUVs on him? Let Buhari take stock of Kanu’s fans: how many of them were there for Ralph Uwazurike who, more than anyone else, single-handedly carried the banner of his people and, for many years and has been catering for the welfare of civil war veterans from the side of Biafra?

    Nigeria is in a state of flux. The forces of destabilization are pushing the nation to the brink. grandstanding will take us nowhere. Brinksmanship will only lead us to certain perdition. Nor would we survive another civil war; at least, civil war veteran General T.Y. Danjuma told us that many years ago.  Beyond emotions, we need to reflect soberly on the crisis of survival that is buffeting the nation on all sides.

    Patriots like Ngige are being misunderstood because those in power are not listening to elder statesmen like General Yakubu Gowon who, in a recent statement, has counseled on the need to implement the 2014 Constitutional Conference to douse the tension in the land or former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (all hail the Waziri!) and serial minister emeritus, Professor Jerry Gana who have called for the restructuring of the country. If that is done, we would have travelled a productive distance from where Ojukwu started when he joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1982 to Ngige’s impassioned membership of the APC in 2017. That is a quarter of a century. See how we have wasted precious time driven by unproductive parochialism while other nations developed.

    My final take is that as the political gladiators of the Igbo ethnic stock trade tackles over the strategy for creating an inclusive political environment, it should not be forgotten that there is neither wisdom nor strength in casting all one’s eggs in one political basket or throwing the baby away with the bath water. Ngige should be given a hearing. He is a Nigerian patriot whose DNA is unimpeachably Igbo; he demonstrated it as president of Aka Ikenga; he took it a notch higher as governor of Anambra State where his legacy has become a benchmark for service delivery among the states. I have a strong feeling that given a chance, he has the capacity and political experience to pursue to its logical conclusion Ojukwu’s peaceful quest for a paradigm shift in inter-ethnic and inter-governmental relations in Nigeria.

  • Nigeria to end gas flaring by 2020, says Ngige

    Nigeria has developed a roadmap that is expected to end the nation’s gas flaring and save billions of dollars for the country by the year 2020, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has said.

    The country is also putting in place a  Sovereign National Green Bond to raise special funds from the capital market that would be used for the green project, especially renewable energy, as well as afforestation projects that would help reduce emissions in line with national determined contributions.

    Addressing the 106 session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Ngige said Nigeria remains committed to building on security, inclusive growth and sustainable development through what he described as the African agenda, 2063.

    He said  part of the challenge facing the country borders on how to attract the required resources to finance the recurring national budget deficit, occasioned by the volatilities in the global oil market and insurgency, especially in the north eastern part of the country.

    To achieve this, Ngige said the country would be needing the assistance of the international community, pointing out that such assistance is critical to the nation.

    He said: “Nigeria expresses her commitment to the Green Initiative as climate change poses the greatest threat to the world, especially Africa. The adverse effects can be found everywhere in our ecosystem which have manifested in the difficulties associated with the generation of sustainable income, employment opportunities, eradication of poverty and the promotion of better livelihood form the citizenry.

    “A manifestation of the adverse climatic condition in my country(Nigeria), was the recent outbreak of cerrebro-spinal meningitis, which resulted in the death of over 1000 people predisposed by the extreme heat waves which assisted an uncontrollable menegitidis bacteria multiplication.

    “We therefore agree with the Director-General that the mitigation of climate change is the most paramount element in shaping the present state and future of condition of work.

    Ngige said Nigeria is a signatory to the Paris agreement, since the 71st United Nations General Assembly, and shall contribute to the implementation of the initiative. Indeed, combating climate change is one of the cardinal objective of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration in Nigeria.”

    He said the administration`s commitment to fighting climate change is crystalised in the increasing and substantial budgetary allocations to this sector over the last two years.

    It is noteworthy that even before the Paris agreement of 2015, Nigeria has put in place various measures to tackle the challenges of climate change.

  • Nigeria to end gas flaring by 2020 – Ngige

    Nigeria to end gas flaring by 2020 – Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Thursday said Federal Government has developed a roadmap that would enable country to end gas flaring by 2020.

    He said the government has also put in place a Sovereign National Green Bond to raise special funds from the capital market for green projects especially renewable energy and afforestation.

    The projects, the minister said would help reduce emissions in line with national determined contributions.

    Addressing the 106 session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Ngige said the government is committed to building on security, inclusive growth and sustainable development through what he described as African 2063 agenda.

    He said: “Nigeria expresses her commitment to the Green Initiative as climate change poses the greatest threat to the world especially Africa. The adverse effects can be found everywhere in our ecosystem which have manifested in the difficulties associated with the generation of sustainable income, employment opportunities, eradication of poverty and the promotion of better livelihood form the citizenry.

    “A manifestation of the adverse climatic condition in my country was recent outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis which resulted in the death of over 1,000 people.

    “We therefore agree with the Director General that the mitigation of climate change is the most paramount element in shaping the present state and future of condition of work.

    “Nigeria is a signatory to the Paris agreement since the 71st United Nations General Assembly and shall contribute to the implementation of the initiative. Indeed, combating climate change is one of the cardinal objectives of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration in Nigeria.

    “The administration`s commitment to fighting climate change is crystalised in the increasing and substantial budgetary allocations to this sector over the last two years. It is noteworthy that even before the Paris agreement of 2015, Nigeria has put in place various measures to tackle the challenges of climate change.”

  • I’m following Ojukwu’s political footsteps, says Ngige

    I’m following Ojukwu’s political footsteps, says Ngige

    Minister of Labour Chris Ngige said at the weekend that he is following the late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu’s footsteps.

    He said his advice in 2015 that the Igbo should not put all their political eggs in one basket was borne out of what he learnt from the late Ojukwu.

    Reacting to a statement credited to the leadership of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASOB), Ngige said  Ojukwu, in 1982 left the Igbo-dominated Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) for the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) because of his belief that it was not politically wise to put your eggs in one basket.

    He said: “I am only practising what the late leader of Ndigbo, Dim odumegwu Ojukwu, taught us. I wish to put on record that my position is exactly the same position our late leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, took in 1982 when he left the Igbo-dominated NPP to join the NPN.

    “Ikemba reasoned that while the Igbo supported Zik’s (Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s) NPP, there was also the wisdom in spreading our political net to the waters of the ruling party. Ikemba did so to ensure that Ndigbo was not all boxed into a regional party or enclave, which can disconnect or limit their participation in the nation’s apex political conclave.

    “If Ojukwu thought that doing otherwise was myopic in 1982, why is a section of the Igbo crucifying Ngige for preaching and practising the wise counsel of our eternal leader, Ikemba.

    “It is, therefore, clear that the ‘new’ leadership of MASSOB needs a clearer and undistorted interpretation of the truth in my position, which is that it is politically unwise for us to repeat in future elections, the 2015 presidential election voting pattern, where all our eggs were dumped in one basket; the basket failed and the eggs all got broken.

    “I wish to add that there is enough opportunity for the Igbo to make up whatever perceived loss they currently encounter. But our leaders need to shun the creeping political narrowness and play politics more astutely.

    “What matters most is not how ‘big’ the positions we occupy. Rather, what we are able to achieve for the Igbo with what we occupy.

    “Today, work is ongoing on all the major Federal roads in the Southeast: Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Umuahia-Abia-Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt-Owerri, Oba-Nnewi– Arondizuogu-Okigwe, to mention a few. Julius Berger has been mobilised with N6 billion for the 2nd River Niger Bridge. There is also the Benin-Onitsha rail line with a separate bridge across the Niger, which was not originally in the Goodluck Jonathan-PDP coastal rail master plan.”

    Ngige said the current development going in the Southeast could not be achieved with the “big” positions (SGF, Deputy Senate President and Speaker, Ministers of Finance, Health, Aviation, National Chairman of ruling party, Head of Army and police, among others) that Ndigbo occupied under the Jonathan administration for six years.

    The minister said the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration was doing so in just one budget cycle, that is, between May 2016 and May 2017, “knowing well that 2015 budget was Jonathan’s”.

    He reminded the “new” MASSOB leadership that when he was Anambra State governor, he was the only governor in the zone who protected the organisation against harassment by the security agencies because of their non-violent approach to its struggle.

    “I did not only protect MASOB from undue harassment by security agencies, I sent them food from the state treasury and employed its members in the formidable Anambra Vigilante Service. This was to give stability to the security architecture of the state.The founder of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazurike is alive and can testify to this.”

    He advised the “new” MASSOB leadership to show some respect to elders who have contributed to the wellbeing of Ndigbo.

  • FG to review minimum wage committee’s report

    FG to review minimum wage committee’s report

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Friday rekindled hope of a new minimum wage in the country.

    He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is set to review the report of the joint committee on the National Minimum Wage at its next meeting on Wednesday.

    Ngige told journalists in Abuja that the 16- man Technical Committee on Minimum Wage and Palliatives had submitted its report to the main committee, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    He said, “This report was adopted just last week by the 29 -man joint committee.

    “So the report is now being taken to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval next week and then the Acting President will constitute a National Minimum Wage Review Committee.

    “This National Minimum Wage Review Committee will then fix a new minimum wage for the country.

    “It has become imperative for a new minimum wage, because the last minimum wage has a life span of five years.  It was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan and it elapsed by Aug.ust 2016.”

    The minister stressed that since the issue of minimum wage was a constitutional issue, all stakeholders would be involved in the final discussions.

    “So it is a law that it would have a national application for both those in the private sector and those in the public sector.

    “So the implementation of the national minimum wage is not only for the Federal Government alone,” he added.

    Ngige said the private sector, employers of labour, government and governors, among others would be involved in the discussion.

    “We must all sit together and come out with an acceptable agreement,” he said.