The newly approved minimum wage applies to all workers across both public and private sectors, including maids and other domestic staff.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated this during the plenary session
on Tuesday.
The bill was speedily passed by both chambers of the National Assembly
just after it was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during the plenary, the Senate President expressed satisfaction
with the passage of the new national minimum wage, urging employers of labour
to ensure compliance with the set benchmark.
He congratulated the Nigeria Labour Congress, all Nigerians, and the
National Assembly for the historic legislation, which he said has reduced the
term of negotiations from five years to three years given the increasing cost
of living.
The Senate President then adjourned the sitting to 17 September.
The new bill replaces the National Minimum Wage Act, No. 8, 2019, which
approved a N30,000 minimum wage with five years to negotiate a new wage. The
new wage review period has now been reduced to three years following Tuesday’s
legislation.
The Majority Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, while leading a
debate on the bill, said N70,000 was agreed upon by all the parties after
negotiations.
Bamidele said this is part of the Federal Government’s short-term
measure to mitigate the situation in the country.