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By Nasir Kura
The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has said that the extraordinary meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) extensively discussed the national minimum wage and would comment on its deliberations after the National Economic Council’s (NEC) decide on the matter.
The minister said this while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the special FEC meeting in Abuja.
He said the federal government is awaiting the final position of the NEC on the new national minimum wage, stressing that FEC meeting on the matter is work on progress.
“It’s a work in progress. It would also be discussed by the National Economic Council (NEC) before we can brief the media,” he said.
The President Buhari had on January 9 inaugurated a Technical Advisory Committee on the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage and reiterated his commitment to its payment.
He restated his commitment to an upward review of the minimum wage, stressing that “it is time to do so.”
He said the committee would recommend “modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage in such a manner as to minimise its inflationary impact, as well as ensure that its introduction does not lead to job losses.”
