The 142nd National Economic Council meeting is being led by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House in Abuja.
Attending the meeting are a few members of President Bola Tinubu’s economic team. At the meeting on Wednesday, Tinubu will talk with state governors about the new national minimum wage, according to President’s Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.
This was revealed by Gbajabiamila while he was in Kano, leading a powerful delegation to express his condolences to Shettima on the death of his mother-in-law.
“He (Tinubu) is indeed saddened and he wished 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 said.
The meeting takes place a few days after the Federal Executive Council disregarded the Tripartite Committee’s recommendation on the New National Minimum Wage on Tuesday, citing President Tinubu’s need for additional stakeholder consultation.
They include local government representatives, state governors, and business leaders. The Vice President, the governors of the 36 states in the federation, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, and other stakeholders make up the NEC, a statutory body tasked with advising the President on matters pertaining to the country’s economy.
Among those present Governors Usman Ododo (Kogi), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Lawal Dauda (Zamfara), Charles Soludo (Anambra), Seyi Makinde, (Oyo), Lucky Ayedatiwa, (Ondo).
Other Governors sighted at the Council Chambers, the venue of the meeting, are Abdullahi Sule, (Nassarawa), 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.