Labour unions in the North East are suggesting a national minimum wage of N560,000 per month.
The branches of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the six states of the North East have proposed this amount, while the Adamawa and Bauchi state governments have recommended N45,000.
During the North East Zonal Public Hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, the six branches of the two major labour groups explained that they had analyzed economic factors to determine the N560,000 proposal.
The Chairman of the NLC in Adamawa State, Emmanuel Fashe, presented a joint recommendation from NLC and TUC leaders in the North East states. They suggested that the new minimum wage should be reviewed every two years instead of every five years.
The Adamawa State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also made a similar recommendation, proposing a monthly salary of N486,000 for government employees and workers in large organizations.
The chairman of the state CAN, Gambo Bupwadta, stated that the association arrived at its proposed figure for the new minimum wage after carefully reviewing the expenses of average families, such as food, medical care, housing, transportation, and children’s education.
The state branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) supported the NLC’s stance on the new minimum wage in their own memorandum.
The Adamawa State chapter of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) requested N200,000 as the new monthly minimum wage, while the Muslim Council of Nigeria in the state recommended N75,000.
During the North East Zonal Public Hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Bauchi State Governor Senator Bala Mohammed was present, while Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was represented by Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa Farauta.
The hearing in Yola was overseen by NLC President Joe Ajaero.
Representatives from the governments of Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno, and Taraba states, including commissioners or permanent secretaries, attended the hearing.
Gombe and Taraba suggested N60,000 as the new minimum wage, while Borno did not take a stance. Yobe proposed a three-yearly review of the minimum wage without specifying an amount.
