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New Minimum Wage Underway

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16 years ago

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Chidi Kalu

 

 

 

The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) appear to have agreed that the present minimum wage between N5,500 and N6,500 is no longer realistic. Consequently, a new minimum wage is being worked out.

This is the fall-out of the meeting between the federal government and representatives of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) who appeared before the Special Committee on New Minimum Wage led by Justice Alfa Belgore Tuesday and Wednesday this week in Abuja.

At the time of filing this report, it was not certain how much the least paid worker would earn. But both government and labour agreed that the current wage structure cannot meet the needs of  Nigerian workers.

The NLC is demanding a minimum wage of N52,000 but the House of Representatives had proposed a new N30,000 minimum wage structure for the country, which had already been passed  through the second reading before it was and was rejected by the president Umaru Yar’Adua.

With this agreement, it is expected that the National Salaries and Wages Commission would come up with a rate the Federal Government could afford when the negotiation starts in due course.

The Tide gathered that during the preliminary talks, all the parties submitted their memoranda to the Belgore Committee which was not made available to the press, with the belief that it was made known to the public, it may affect the negotiation.

The major issue now, our correspondent gathered is how to arrive at a reasonable wage that would be accepted and affordable by both parties.

But the parties are hopeful that the negotiation will soon commence as the presidency had directed the Belgore Committee to act within a time frame.

 Even though the talks were held behind close doors, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Minister of Labour and Productivity Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehi; National Employers Consultative Association (NECA) representatives and labour representatives were reportedly present at the talks.

The current minimum wage came about eight years ago following the passing of the national minimum wage Act 2000 into law.

Although the Act allows a 12.5 to 15 per cent wage adjustment, the NLC says the percentage increase is no longer realistic because of the biting effects of the financial downturn on workers.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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