The Federal Government has denied reaching an agreement with the leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on the new minimum wage.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister explained that negotiations are still ongoing as the different groups involved have agreed on different figures as minimum wage.

According to him, the labour leaders agreed on N30,000, the private sector agreed on N25,000 while the Federal and State governments agreed on N24,000 and N20,000 respectively.

He said negotiations will continue as they plan to harmonise the agreements reached tomorrow, Thursday.

Ngige also added that in accordance with Convention 131 of the International Labour Organisation, the most important thing to consider in fixing the new minimum wage is the ability to pay.

Earlier, before the commencement of the FEC meeting, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, presented a compendium to President Buhari.

The 1,042-page document is a compilation of the policies, programmes and projects approved by the FEC from 2015 to 2017.

Mustapha said the book serves as a reference material and an answer to critics who do not believe the Buhari-led administration has achieved so much.

•Sourced from Channels TV report