The Federal Government is hopeful that the ongoing deadlock over the new minimum wage will be resolved next week. This optimism was expressed by the Ministers of Information and Labour following a closed-door session between President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of organized labour at the State House on Thursday.

The meeting, which lasted about an hour, is set to reconvene next week. It was convened to facilitate further engagement with stakeholders before making a final decision on the new minimum wage.

In attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, several ministers, heads of agencies, and presidential aides. According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, the president emphasized his concern for the welfare of Nigerian workers but urged for realistic expectations regarding the minimum wage.

“I pay attention to everything around me. A happy worker is a productive worker, and society depends on the productivity of happy workers,” President Tinubu said. “We need to cut our coat according to available cloth. Before finalizing the minimum wage process, we must examine the structure. Why must we adjust wages every five years? Why not two or three years? What is a problem today can be eased tomorrow. We need a pragmatic approach based on a deep understanding of all factors.”

The organized labour, consisting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has insisted on a ₦250,000 demand, while the tripartite committee proposed ₦62,000. Despite the Thursday meeting with President Tinubu, the labour leaders reiterated that their demands remain unchanged.

NLC President Joe Ajaero clarified that the meeting was not a negotiation but a discussion. “We agreed to look at the real terms and reconvene next week. The status quo in terms of the amounts ₦250,000 and ₦62,000 remains until we finish this conversation,” Ajaero said.

TUC President Festus Osifo highlighted the economic difficulties Nigerians face, emphasizing the impact of the naira’s devaluation on the prices of commodities. “We presented these issues to President Tinubu, emphasizing the economic analysis, including macro, micro, fiscal, and monetary aspects,” Osifo said.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to reconvene in a week to continue discussions.