NEC okays $1bn agric consortium project, mum on minimum wage

The 36 state governors on Thursday kept mum on the vexed minimum wage issue. They also did not broach the matter despite meeting with President Bola Tinubu who participated in the closed-door session.

Specifically, President Tinubu in fulfilment of his promise to consult and engage widely before making a recommendation on the minimum wage imbroglio to the National Assembly, attended the meeting constitutionally presided over by the vice president.

But the governors who attended the National Economic Council (NEC) maintained a silent disposition over the wage issue while briefing newsmen after their closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The governors on Wednesday met and took a position which, it was believed, would have tabled before the President at the meeting held inside the Council chamber.

Recall that the NGF had earlier insisted that they cannot pay the N60,000 earlier proposed by the federal government during the minimum wage negotiations at the 37-man tripartite committee meeting

The federal government however increased the amount to N62,000 while the organised labour rejected the offer and requested for N250,000 as minimum wage.

Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed that the ad hoc committee on crude oil theft and the economy, briefed the Council on the plans to halt crude oil theft.

He said, “We identified areas of leakages and made recommendations to strengthen the regulatory framework”

He, however, disclosed that the committee’s plan is work in progress and assured that it will come up with the full recommendations soon.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, who gave detailed information bothering on agriculture and food security, disclosed that the federal government has distributed 42,000 metric tonnes of grains, 20 trailers of rice, as well as released 1,500,000 bags of fertiliser to states, which are now awaiting evacuation by the state governments.

On the agriculture mechanisation programme, the minister stated that the council received briefing and approved the Greener Hope Agric mechanisation consortium, a ten year programme totaling $1bn investments

The consortium is expected to set up 1000 agro centres with service providers across the country.

The centres are also expected to engage about 600,000 youths, providing 2000 tractors yearly, for the next five years.

The project was earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Others include the John Dere/ Tata tractors arrangements and the 2000 tractors to be supplied per year, with the establishment of 52 service and maintenance centres.

The tractors will be delivered in the next 60 days, the minister said.

He also disclosed that the Saudi Arabia government has requested for 200,000 metric tonnes of red meat yearly and 1m metric tonnes of soya beans.

“The request is part of the fall out of the President’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” he said.

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