Governors To Meet President Buhari Over Minimum Wage

By Tijjani Tijjani

The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari again over the issue of new minimum wage.

The forum took the decision at its last meeting for 2018, presided by the chairman of Forum and Governor of Zamafara State, Abdulaziz Yari, on Thursday night in Abuja.

Abdulaziz Yari, however, declined to speak with journalists after the meeting.

But the NGF Head, Media, and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, told journalists at the end of the meeting that the governors resolved to meet the president on Friday.

“It was a very short meeting, of course, the very last one for the year, the meeting welcomed the newest governor in its midst, the Osun state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.

“The meeting resolved to meet the president on the issue of the minimum wage which hopefully will be resolved before the end of the year.

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“The governors are also meeting the president tomorrow to thank him for the way he has to handle the economy,” Mr Barkindo said.

The governors had offered to pay N22,500 while the federal government wants to pay N24,000 against the N30,000 being demanded by the organized labor

The forum at its last meeting set up a committee to meet with Muhammadu Buhari to canvass its position, which it stated was not reflected in the report of the Tripartite Committee submitted to the president.

Mr Oyetola earlier in an interview with journalist commended the meeting, saying it offered the governors opportunity to peer review each other and share experiences and best practices.

Some of the governors at the meeting were Edo, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Kwara, Kano, Plateau, Kebbi and Gombe States.

The governors of Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa, Rivers and Nasarawa were represented by their deputies.

(NAN)