Outcome of the cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari was shielded from the Media on Tuesday as Ministers kept decisions on the new Minimum Wage Bill scheduled for presentation on January 23rd, secret.
Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed who presided over the briefing session said it was improper to disclose the outcome until the meeting of the National Economic Council meeting likely to take place this week.
Asked to comment on the outcome of the FEC meeting and decisions on the Minimum Wage, the Minister who confirmed that the meeting was solely dedicated to Minimum Wage issue, however said he could not disclose decisions arrived at “ until after the meeting of the National Economic Council NEC”
“ l cannot because it is work in progress, since it will also be discussed at the National Economic Council ( NEC) meeting before we come out with the decision, thereafter, we can brief the Media” he said
Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Danbazzau , however, while briefing Journalists, disclosed that the 34 page, five years e- Passport will cost N25,000 or $130, while the 64 page 10 years e-Passport will be issued to Nigerians at N35,000
The 64 page e-Passport goes for N70,000 for the 10 year version or $230.
He noted that only Nigerians of 18 years and above are allowed to hold the 10 years Passport
Interior Minister also disclosed that federal government has concluded plans “to produce the e- Passport locally with the Nigeria Security, Minting and Printing Company to create jobs locally and reduce costs “
BusinessDay gathered that the meeting was part of plans by the government to avert pending threats of Labour unrest ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Before the meeting, President Muhammadu Buhari had launched the new International Passport with 10 years validity before the commencement of FEC meeting.
The new Passport s expected to save Nigerians in the Diaspora frequent visits to Nigerian Embassies for renewal of Passports.
The new passport also has embedded enhanced and self-tracking of application, express center for urgent applications and is weather friendly.
The passport which complies with the latest ICAO standards, has other features such as Polycarbonate technology that eliminates damage and enhanced security features
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
