The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has said the new minimum wage of N70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024 with a promise to review it every three years, will be reviewed in less than two years.
Onyejeocha announced this while addressing reporters after a meeting with labour leaders yesterday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remained committed to his promise to Nigerian workers by ensuring that minimum wage was reviewed after three years.
She said the president was deeply concerned about the welfare of workers and would keep to every promise he made to them, and as a result said the promise had been made and well documented.
According to her, “We are not going to allow the minimum wage review to be forever. It used to be about five years, but now, in three years, which is less than two years, we will also review the minimum wage.
Onyejeocha, who hails from Abia State, said she decided to meet with the labour leaders, who she described as her constituents, “to wish them well” after spending her Christmas and New Year holidays in the state.
The minister said she reminded the leaders that labour is an integral part of the government that should help to ensure stability and peace, not just at the workplace but also across the country.
Her words, “I reminded them that we should have a strike-free year, where we will be able to work with the government in partnership, knowing that if we are at peace, we will be more productive”.
The Abia State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ogbomna Okoro, hailed the minister for her giant stride in office, saying the body was proud of her and would continue to collaborate with her.
Onyejeocha, who is from a royal family, had a roundtable with the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, where she explained some federal government policies to them.
