FEC backdates payment of new minimum wage to April; but will it reflect the agreed consequential adjustment?

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, this Wednesday directed the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to effect payment of the new minimum wage on or before 31st December, 2019.

The Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, made this known at the end of FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He added that FEC also approved the minimum wage to take effect from 18 April, 2019.

The organised labour will eagerly await details of the backdated payment to see if it is consistent with the latest agreement on the knotty consequential adjustment issue.

Also as part of the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said that N1.7 billion was approved by FEC for procurement and installation of communication equipment for airport towers in Zaria and Katsina.

Noting that the equipment would ensure safety and efficiency at the airports, Sirika said the completion period for the contract was eight months.

Also, the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, revealed that the FEC approved the use of methanol in the Nigerian economy.

Onu, who explained that methanol “is derivable from gas that accompanies crude oil,” added that it had been profitable for oil companies to flare the gas, which has posed great environmental problems in the country.

Saying that FEC approved methanol to be used as transportation fuel, cooking, Onu said it was cheap and safe and would also check deforestation in the country.

READ ALSO : NEW MINIMUM WAGE: NLC vows to sue defaulting states

He, meanwhile, noted that the project would not be achieved overnight because plants needed to be built and other logistics put in place.

He said it would be private-sector driven.

Another outcome of the meeting was FEC approval of change of the name of the Ministry Communication to be now known as Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

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