Vice President Kashim Shettima is presiding over the 142nd National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja.
The gathering includes members of President Bola Tinubu’s economic team and various state governors.
On Wednesday, Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, mentioned that President Tinubu would discuss the new national minimum wage with the state governors at this meeting.
Gbajabiamila made this known while in Kano, where he led a delegation to commiserate with Vice President Shettima over the loss of his mother-in-law.
“He (Tinubu) is indeed saddened, and he wishes he was here with you. You know our president is very ubiquitous; he can be in a million places at the same time, but unfortunately, this bill, as you well know, calls for him to be at the seat of power.
“Indeed, he will be joining you tomorrow and that’s how important his presence in Abuja is right now.
“He will be joining you tomorrow at the NEC meeting, which he ever hardly attends, this might even be his first meeting,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The NEC meeting follows the recent Federal Executive Council decision to defer the report of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage, emphasising the need for President Tinubu to engage further with other stakeholders, including state governors, local government authorities, and the private sector.
The NEC is a statutory body responsible for advising the President on economic matters and includes the Vice President, governors of the 36 states, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, and other stakeholders.
Governors attending the meeting include Usman Ododo (Kogi), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Lawal Dauda (Zamfara), Charles Soludo (Anambra), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Umar Radda (Katsina), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), and Umar Bago (Niger).
Lagos, Rivers, Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are represented by their deputy governors.
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