On Monday, the organised labour in Nigeria, the Labour Congress, (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), embarked on a day strike following the failure of the Federal government to agree and pay a new minimum wage by May 31, 2024.
Also, they wanted a reversal of the hike in electricity tariff.
The strike commenced on Monday.
However on in the night of the same day, the leadership of the organised labour met with government representatives and the Federal Government expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to raise the ₦60,000 offered as the minimum wage.
The agreement stated: “The President of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is committed to establishing a National Minimum Wage higher than ₦60,000; and the Tripartite Committee will convene daily for the next week to finalise an agreeable National Minimum Wage
As a result of this agreement, the labour unions decided to suspend the strike tentatively on Tuesday.
The president had also directed the Minister of Finance to within 48hrs present to him the cost implication of a new minimum wage.
But on Wednesday and Thursday news began to flood the social media that “The Finance Minister Proposed a New Minimum Wage of #105,000 naira”
Among the bloggers that carried the story were ,royalnews.com.ng, stories.apexnews-af.com
and solakuti.com
The link:
The link:
It was observed that no credible media organisation reported such and this triggered some curiosity to fact check.
For verification, I checked the X handle of t the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, where he made it public that the story was fake.
The link:
Bayo Onanuga wrote,
“The Presidency has described as false the news making the rounds that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, has proposed ₦105,000 in the new minimum wage template.
The Special Adviser disclosed this on his X account on Thursday.
The presidential aide wrote: “The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, has not proposed ₦105,000 minimum wage.
“The contrary story being disseminated is false.”
Edun had earlier in the day presented the template to President Bola Tinubu, meeting the 48-hour deadline.
Edun, along with the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, presented President Tinubu with the cost implications of the new minimum wage in his office at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Tinubu is said to be currently reviewing this proposal, and an official announcement is expected soon.
Therefore, the claim that the government has proposed a ₦105,000 new minimum wage is unfounded and fake.
