Members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) are requesting concessions in response to the proposed new minimum wage being discussed by the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee.
A representative from the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) conveyed in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust that while they wouldn’t oppose a government decision to set the minimum wage above N100,000, they would seek tax holidays or exemptions if such an increase is implemented. He emphasized that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can only afford a wage of N60,000.
“Obviously, paying more than N100,000 as wages to our workers would collapse small and medium scale businesses. We are okay with N60,000, but we won’t disagree with the government, the labour and other employers from the OPS,” he stated.
Earlier reports on Thursday indicated that President Bola Tinubu had approved a new minimum wage of N105,000 following a briefing from the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun. However, the Presidency later denied these claims, with Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, asserting via his X account that Edun had not proposed a N105,000 minimum wage, and that the circulating story was false.
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, also clarified that no specific amount was presented during a closed-door meeting of the tripartite committee. Ajaero, who appeared optimistic following the meeting, said, “The committee is still working now, so when they finish, Nigerians will get the report.” He noted that no figure had been officially or unofficially presented to the committee.
The meeting observed by Daily Trust’s correspondent included a joint closed-door session lasting about three hours with all committee members, including the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha. Subsequently, the groups held separate meetings. Wale Edun and OPS members departed after their session, while Onyejeocha continued discussions with labour leaders.
Ajaero emphasized that the committee had not yet received a proposed figure, stating, “They didn’t present it to the committee; they are presenting it to the committee of the house.” He added that any update would be made public once deliberations were concluded.
The Minister of State for Labour, Onyejeocha, confirmed that updates would be provided upon finalizing the talks, stating, “You will get an update when we finalise the talks. You will hear us when we are done.”
The discussions are ongoing, with all parties hoping for a resolution by the next day.
