The ongoing negotiations on new minimum wage has been adjourned till Wednesday after the organised labour rejected the new N54,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government, a highly reliable source who attended the meeting told our correspondent on Wednesday.

The Federal Government upped its offer from its earlier proposed N48,000 to N54,000.

Tuesday’s meeting came as a result of the walkout staged by members of the organised labour following the proposal of N48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government during last week’s meeting.

During that meeting, the OPS had also proposed N54,000 while labour insisted on its N615,000 living wage demand.

Sources who attended the follow-up meeting on Tuesday learnt that the Federal Government upped its offer from N48,000 to N54,000.

“Well, during the meeting, the government increased its offer from N48,000 to N54,000. However, labour rejected that offer and the meeting has been adjourned till Wednesday,” a source who asked not to be named said.

When asked if the government’s side was showing any sign of seriousness, the labour leader said, “No seriousness at all. Even state governors did not show up. Those who represented them, like Bauchi and Niger states, did not have the mandates to speak on their behalf.

“As regards the private sector, we did not get to them before the meeting was adjourned but we hope they also increase their initial offer.”

Organised labour on Monday reiterated its May 31, 2024 deadline for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”

In a statement released at the end of the jointly held NEC meeting by the NLC and TUC which was signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president and Festus Osifo, TUC president, the unions said they acknowledge the ongoing negotiations between the NLC/TUC, the Organised Private Sector and the Federal Government regarding the new national minimum wage.

While appreciating what they described as the efforts made thus far, the NLC and TUC emphasized the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that reflects the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.

They also affirmed commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process.

President Bola Tinubu through Vice President Kashim Shettima, on January 30, 2024, inaugurated the 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage to come up with a new minimum wage ahead of the expiration of the current N30,000 wage on April 18.

With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

During the inauguration of the panel, Shettima urged the members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.

“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.

In furtherance of its assignment, a zonal public hearing was held simultaneously on March 7 in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja.

The NLC and the TUC in different states proposed various figures as a living wage, referencing the current economic crunch and the high costs of living.

In their different proposals on the minimum wage, the NLC members in the South-West states demanded N794,000 as the TUC suggested N447,000.

Retired Police Officers of Nigeria under the contributory pension scheme stormed the National Assembly in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to protest several months of unpaid pensions.

The retirees on Tuesday representing various state chapters lamented the severe hardships faced due to the failure of the National Pension Commission to pay their entitlements.

The retired police officers are urging the Federal Government to remove them from the contributory pension scheme.

Protest by retired police officers have have been recurrent, particularly on grievances over their entitlements.

In September 2021, retired officers from 27 states had also stormed the National Assembly in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, demanding their pension payments.

The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has resolved to constitute a technical committee to address issues concerning the epileptic malfunctioning of the presidential aircraft.

This is just as the lower chamber has resolved to summon the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and the Commander of the presidential fleet to explain the breakdown of aircrafts in the presidential fleet.

The committee on Monday met with the commander of the Presidential Air fleet, Air Vice Marshal Olayinka Olusola, behind closed doors at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja to deliberate on the circumstances that resulted in the use of a chartered plane by the President, Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima recently.

Recall that the President had in April flown a chartered plane from the Netherlands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.

Also recently, Vice President Shettima cancelled his trip to the United States where he was scheduled to represent President Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit as a result of a faulty aircraft.

Debating a motion of urgent public importance brought on the floor of the House by the Chairman, the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Ahmad Satomi, the lawmakers resolved to invite the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Commander of the presidential fleet to explain the faulty breakdown of planes in the presidential fleet, despite the huge allocation in the annual budgets to maintain them.

During the debate, House Minority Whip, Isa called on the President and Vice President to consider travelling by road to ascertain the truth of road infrastructure across the country.

Briefing journalists after the executive session, Satomi said a technical committee will be set up to interface with the officials at the presidential air fleet to generate a resolution.

“The committee has engaged the commandant of the presidential air fleet, the NSA and a lot has been discussed. It is a very sensitive national security issue that has to do with our President. And looking at our role in the foreign policy position of Nigeria, this is not something that we will come out publicly and discuss. Nevertheless, a lot has been explained.

“The committee resolved to set up a small technical committee to interface with the NSA, commandant, and all the stakeholders within a short period to come up with a final resolution that will foster the best for Nigeria, our President and the entire team of the presidential air fleet.

“So, I think for now the technical team will engage all the stakeholders in the presidential air fleet who have something to say. At the end, we will come up with a final resolution. But for now, we have not taken the decision. But we must have something that will represent Nigeria as a country,” he said.

Responding to whether the planes need to be fixed or replaced outrightly, the lawmaker said, “For now, we have not resolved on that. The entire presidential air fleet is okay for now. It is not the issue of either to repair or to think of getting new ones. All that we know is that as a country, our position in global policy — we need something that will represent our image because our pride will show how Nigeria is.

“So, we are yet to conclude or finalise but they have explained enough. Some of the incidents are just media propaganda. It is not what we expected or what we thought happened. It is something different.”