THE National Council of States has approved N27,000 as the new minimum wage for state and private sectors workers while federal workers are to earn N30,000.

The decision was reached at the first meeting of the council in 2019 which held at the AsoRock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said that a bill recommending a national minimum wage of N27,000 will be sent to the national assembly before the close of business on Wednesday. He also said the council has approved the frequency of five years for the review of the minimum wage.

Present at the council meeting today were former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan; former head of Nigeria’s Interim National Government, Ernest Shonekan; former Military Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar; Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo, and Senate President Bukola Saraki.

In November 2018, a tripartite committee made up of representatives from the federal government, the organised labour, and the organised private sector had recommended the sum of N30,000 as the new minimum wage, but the Nigerian Governor’s Forum said the amount was impracticable.

The tripartite committee, headed by Ama Pepple, had also submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari a draft bill on the new minimum wage to be forwarded to the National Assembly for passage into law.

However, following FG’s reluctance to transmit the bill to the National Assembly, the Nigeria Labour Congress threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the bill was not sent to the lawmakers on or before December 31, 2018.

The Presidency is expected to announce that the bill will be sent to the National Assembly on Wednesday, January 23.