NEWS
Minimum Wage: Labour Decries FEC’s Delay Tactics, Urges Consultation
The Organised Labour has decried the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) delay tactics on the memorandum on the report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage.
It was gathered the FEC had on Tuesday stepped-down action on the memo.
In a swift reaction, the Head, Public Relations at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Benson Upah, raised a strong voice against the failure of FEC to consider the memo at Tuesday’s meeting.
Upah insisted that the stepping down the tripartite committee report “creates room for injurious speculations.”
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told media men after the FEC meeting that they stepped down the memorandum on the new minimum wage to allow for more consultations between President Bola Tinubu, state governors, local government authorities and the private sector.
According to Idris, the FEC deferred acting on the memo on the ground that the Federal Government is not the sole stakeholder on the national minimum wage issue.
Recall that the Federal Government, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and Organised Labour had held several meetings on the new minimum wage with the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders insisting on N250,000.
The Federal Government, states and the OPS, had, however, made a counter-offer of N62,000.
The interesting twist in the matter appears to be the state governors, under the banner of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) having declared that any minimum wage higher than N60,000 was not sustainable.
While that was going on, some voices of reason including reputable economists threw a figure of N100,000 into the conversation.
However, the Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, had made it clear that Labour would accept neither the Federal Government’s offer of N62,000 nor the N100,000 thrown up by independent voices.
Labour’s position was reinforced by the words of its President, Joe Ajaero, that the unionists were waiting on the President to consider Labour’s proposal.
It does appear that the Federal Government was aiming to politicize the issue of minimum wage by taking the campaign to even religious bodies.
The Minister for Information, had told the 2024 Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja, that the government was focused on a realistic wage system with a view to safeguarding employment and guarding against mass retrenchment.
According to Idris, the N250,000 minimum wage proposal could undermine the economy, lead to mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of Nigerians.
The concerns in certain quarters note that in his Democracy Day broadcast, President Tinubu assured that he would forward a bill on the new minimum wage to the National Assembly soon.
He told governors and members of the National Assembly on the occasion of the nation’s 25th Democracy Day anniversary at the State House that his administration would pay whatever it could afford as the new minimum wage.
President Tinubu’s stand had drawn the ire of Labour, which insisted that the political office-holders should also be paid the minimum wage.
The Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, said, “The President will likely send the minimum wage bill after the Sallah break.”
Recall that the Senate had adjourned plenary for the Sallah break and is due to resume on July 2.
But the then acting President of the NLC, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, said Labour would not accept the N62,000 proposed by the government and OPS, advising the President to pay workers a living wage and ignore those he described as sycophants.
He also refuted insinuations that a consensus had been reached between the Federal Government and Labour on the new wage.
On Monday, the NLC President, Ajaero, mentioned that Organised Labour expected Tinubu to reach out to the members of the tripartite committee to harmonise the figure, given the stalemate at the end of the committee meeting.
Addressing State House correspondents after Tuesday’s FEC meeting, the information minister, Idris, explained that the President needed to interact with other wage-paying entities to factor their contributions and circumstances into the executive bill on minimum wage that would be passed on to the National Assembly for passage into law.
He stated, “I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that (minimum wage) and the decision is that because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the Federal Government, it is an issue that involves the Federal Government, the state governments, local governments, and the organised private sector and of course, including the organised labour.
“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.
“So I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, as I said, is not just an issue of the Federal Government.”
He said the President studied the report and will “consult wider before a final submission is made to the National Assembly.”
Reacting to the FEC’s decision, the NLC spokesman, Upah, declared that stepping down the minimum wage memo did not bode well for workers.
When asked if the decision to postpone the consideration of the minimum wage memo was a waste of time, he responded, “Definitely, stepping down the minimum wage memo does not bode well with or for us. It creates room for injurious speculations.”
The Deputy National President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, said he expected the President to address the ‘grey areas’ ahead of the transmission of the executive bill on the new minimum wage to the National Assembly.
“I want to believe that the government is very conscious of the grey areas which organised labour has pointed at, especially the amount to be accepted by every party involved, the frequency of review and criteria for the review and application.
“These, amongst others, are the burning issues which to the best of my knowledge need to be addressed before its consideration by FEC to the National Assembly,’’ he noted.
Sahara Group is convening policymakers, industry leaders, investors, academia, and media professionals to advance practical solutions for Africa’s evolving energy landscape.
Scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Lagos, this year’s Asharami Square, a flagship thought leadership platform, is themed “Energising Africa’s Future: Legacy, Impact, and Transformation.”
The platform will spotlight the ideas, partnerships, and policy frameworks required to accelerate sustainable energy development across the continent.
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Building on the success of previous editions, Asharami Square 3.0 will examine how collaboration across government, industry, finance, and the media can unlock investment, strengthen infrastructure, and expand access while supporting Africa’s energy transition.
According to Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, the platform reflects Sahara Group’s commitment to driving impactful conversations that translate into real outcomes.
“Africa’s energy future will be shaped by the strength of our partnerships and our ability to turn dialogue into action. Asharami Square continues to provide a platform for convening diverse perspectives, advancing informed discourse, and driving the decisions that will influence policy, investment, and long-term development across the continent.
As we look Beyond XXX, our focus remains on investing in the ideas, partnerships, and platforms that will help shape a sustainable energy future for Africa.”
Also speaking, Ejiro Gray, Director, Governance and Sustainability, Sahara Group, emphasised the importance of grounding energy conversations in context and practical realities.
“Africa’s energy transition must be defined by solutions that reflect our unique realities. Asharami Square plays a critical role in bridging technical expertise and public understanding, ensuring that conversations around energy, sustainability, and development are anchored in evidence, context, and impact.
Through initiatives like Asharami Square, we continue to advance our Beyond XXX philosophy by supporting credible dialogue and strengthening the ecosystems that drive sustainable progress.”
The event will feature a keynote address by Sadiq Wanka, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Power Infrastructure, alongside a high-level panel including Professor Abigail Ndisika, Director, Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), University of Lagos; Temitope George, CEO, Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC); Adebiyi Olusolape, Associate Editor, Africa, Argus Media; and Kemi Awodein, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Chapel Hill Denham.
A key highlight of this year’s programme will be the unveiling of the Asharami Square Energy Reporting Fellowship Judging Panel, reinforcing Sahara Group’s commitment to strengthening credible, solutions-focused journalism that deepens public understanding of Africa’s energy transition.
Since its maiden edition in 2024, Asharami Square has facilitated informed dialogue and effective media advocacy to enhance energy transition and sustainability in Africa.
Through the platform and the newly launched Asharami Energy Reporting Fellowship, Sahara Group continues to advance its Beyond XXX vision by investing in the ideas, people, and platforms that will help shape Africa’s energy future, while reinforcing its commitment to bringing energy to life responsibly.
Critical stakeholders are lamenting that fuel importers, licensed by the Nigerian government, are selling imported premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol around N200 per litre, above what local refiner, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) is selling.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) noted that the importers including Matrix, AA Rano, Hayden among others have started pricing imported petrol significantly above the rates offered by the DPRP, raising concerns over the effectiveness of the government’s import licensing policy.
IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, said independent marketers had expected the import licences to serve as a check on domestic fuel pricing but are now shocked to find out that the policy had failed to deliver the desired outcome.
“The independent marketers of Nigeria have looked at the price volatility, the issue of the import license, the issue of sales of petroleum products and dollar, and holistically I will want to use the opportunity to urge the federal government to look into this thing transparently through NMDPRA, who is the authority of the industry,” he said.
According to him, the recent import licences issued to marketers have not helped reduce fuel prices as anticipated.
“The recent import licenses, which are termed to be used as a guiding principle or a check to domestic petroleum products being refined here in Nigeria, is not yielding the results as was expected by the independent marketers,” he stated.
Ukadike expressed surprise that some importers were reportedly selling imported petrol at about N1,350 per litre, despite lower prices from the DPRP.
“We were shocked, even as I am talking to you now, that the licenses that have been given to AA Rano, Matrix and all the rest of them to be able to import petroleum products are trying to peg the price of petroleum products at N1,350, which is far, far distant from what Dangote has been selling to us,” he said.
He further questioned the quality and pricing of imported products, insisting that the policy was undermining the purpose for which the licences were granted.
“The essence of NNPC or NMDPRA or the federal government opening up this import license is also to checkmate the domestic price of petroleum products, whereas where we find out that these products are being brought into this country, one, their qualities are questionable, two, their prices are higher,” Ukadike added.
The IPMAN spokesman also warned that continued fuel importation at higher prices was increasing pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange market, with the naira approaching N1,400 to the US dollar.
He argued that imported petroleum products priced using the international PLATTS benchmark were about 20 percent more expensive than products supplied by the DPRP, making imports less competitive.
Ukadike urged the Federal Government to sustain the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery in naira, saying the arrangement would help stabilise domestic fuel prices, reduce demand for foreign exchange and ease pressure on the local currency.
He also cautioned against what he described as the indiscriminate issuance of import licences, warning that such a policy could ultimately lead to higher pump prices for consumers instead of promoting competition.
The Sahara Group Foundation (SGF) has expanded its waste management network and recycling infrastructure in Northern Nigeria with the commissioning of two Sahara Go Recycling hubs in Jigawa and Kaduna States.
This was detailed in a statement from the Foundation on Sunday, which had it that the hubs, located at Gidan Hakimi in Shuwarin Local Government Area of Jigawa State and Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are the Foundation’s 21st and 22nd recycling hubs nationwide and its second and third in Northern Nigeria.
According to a statement, the Jigawa hub was delivered with the support of the King’s Council, Shuwarin, while the Kaduna hub was established in collaboration with Asharami Synergy.
The Foundation said the initiative is designed to convert waste into income-generating opportunities for households. The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, said the hubs demonstrate the organisation’s approach to expanding practical sustainability initiatives through partnerships.
“By partnering with institutions and sister companies that understand local needs and realities, we are building a recycling ecosystem that communities can own, sustain, and benefit from over the long term,” she said.
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The commissioning ceremonies were attended by members of the King’s Council, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Doka, the Chairman of Shuwarin Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Balago, the vice chairman, community leaders and residents in Jigawa, as well as Asharami Synergy’s leadership and the Filling Station Manager in Kaduna.
Speaking at the Jigawa event, Alhaji Bashir Abdullahi, Sarkin Gabas and Hakimin Shuwarin, said the facility addresses a longstanding waste management challenge in the community.
“For years, our people have had no organised way to deal with waste beyond burning or dumping it by the roadside,” he said. “This hub gives our young people and our women a way to earn from something that used to just pollute our surroundings.”
At the Kaduna event, the Filling Station Manager of Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Aliyu Abdullahi Mabai, said the recycling hub complements the station’s operations.
“We are glad to host this recycling hub on our premises,” he said. “It gives our customers and neighbours a simple way to recycle, and fits with what Asharami Synergy stands for as a responsible business.”
The Foundation also disclosed plans to commission another recycling hub in Kano State in the coming weeks following a recent engagement with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who expressed interest in the initiative.
According to the Foundation, Sahara Go Recycling has supported the recycling of more than 1,000 tonnes of materials since its launch and has directly or indirectly impacted more than 2,000 livelihoods nationwide.
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