The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Benue State, Gideon Akaa, has clarified that negotiations between labour leaders and the state government over a new minimum wage are ongoing and no final agreement has been reached.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Akaa refuted recent claims circulating on social media that the Benue State government had proposed a minimum wage of N40,000.
“I’m not aware of the rumour of N40,000,” Akaa stated. “We held a meeting with the government, and the negotiation is still ongoing. Nobody has mentioned anything about N40,000 to the best of my knowledge.”
Akaa emphasized that discussions are active, with no specific amount yet agreed upon. He noted that the figures currently on the table are substantially higher than the N40,000 being reported online.
“The government has not agreed to pay any amount; we are still negotiating. Once the negotiation is concluded, we will sign an agreement,” he explained.
He continued, “As the negotiation is still ongoing, we have so many figures, but we are yet to agree on something. We have N75,000, N77,000 on the negotiation table.”
Akaa assured that once a final agreement is reached, an official announcement will be made to inform the public.