By Chibuike Nwabuko,
ABUJA, (Sundiata Post) – The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the constitution of a 29-member tripartite committee to resolve the dispute over a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The existing minimum wage is N18,000 but workers under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, are demanding N56,000.
Briefing State House correspondents at the of the meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, said that decision followed the deliberations on the report of a technical committee which he chaired, over the matter.
He pointed out that the matter needed to be thrashed out by all stakeholders because already, employers under the umbrella of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) have rejected the N56,000 minimum wage proposal.
The tripartite committee will be chaired by a seasoned Nigerian technocrat appointed by government, which will also nominate five of the committee members while six state governors will also be members.
Minister of the Interior, Abdurahman Danbazzau, Osinbajo directed that a proposal for decongestion and expansion of prisons as well as establishment of six ‘half-way houses’ across the country be presented to the National Economic Council (NEC) for more input.
He noted some of the prisons in the country were 100 years old, adding that deplorable prison conditions are worsened by the fact that 70 percent of inmates are awaiting trial, for as long as 11 years, while five percent of the remaining 30 percent are on death row.
According to him, the plan therefore is to release some of the inmates using prerogative of mercy in conjunction with state governors; expansion and relocation of congested prisons as some states have agreed to provide adequate land for this. The three states that have pledged lands are Akwa Ibom, Kano and Lagos.
Dambazzau also disclosed that one half-way house will be established in each geopolitical zone and will serve to prepare inmates for reintegration into society shortly before their release.
The Minister of State for Environment, Usman Jibrin, told newsmen that FEC approved the setting up of National Forest Trust Fund that will be financed by the major wood stakeholders in the country.
“Part of efforts to ensure forest sustainability. States will be fully involved as most forestry reserves are under them. There is a temporary ban on export of specific types of wood.”
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma briefed on the first quarter Gross Domestic Product (DGP) figures released by the National Bureau for Statistics on Tuesday, saying it was encouraging and an indication that the government interventions are working.
“This is the best figures released in four quarters and there is still enough time to make more efforts to stimulate the economy”, he said.
He also disclosed that the 2017 budget which was officially transmitted to the Presidency last week is still being reviewed and analysed by the different Ministers, thereafter recommendations will be made to the President before it is signed.
“We found the First quarter GDP performance encouraging, the best we have had in four quarters and it is a sign that we are moving out of recession.
“We realize that we still have to work very hard and we will continue with the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
“We believe that the interventions we are making and the steps we are taking are in the right direction.
“The results that were released were for one quarter. There are still three-quarters and we have enough time to do better we will work hard to continue to stimulate the economy to meet our target” he said.
He added that the government was particularly encouraged by the manufacturing sector that grew at 1.36 per cent.
On the budget Udoma said “When the budget is approved we first analyse it, review it and then make our recommendations to the President. We are working hard, we are still in the analysing process and getting input from the ministers”