Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared that the newly approved minimum wage will encompass all workers across both public and private sectors, including domestic staff such as maids.
Akpabio made this announcement during a plenary session held on Tuesday.
The bill, swiftly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly after transmission by President Bola Tinubu, sets a minimum wage of N70,000.
Akpabio emphasized that this wage applies universally, irrespective of the job type, stating, “If you are a tailor employing extra hands, a mother hiring a housemaid, or engaging a driver or gateman, the wage floor is N70,000.”
Expressing satisfaction with the legislation, Akpabio commended the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerians, and the National Assembly for their role in passing what he termed an epoch-making law.
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He highlighted that the revised wage review period has been reduced from five years to three years in response to rising living costs.
Following the passage of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Act Bill, which supersedes the previous N30,000 minimum wage law, Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele clarified that N70,000 was the agreed-upon figure after negotiations.
He described the wage increase as a short-term measure by the Federal Government to alleviate economic pressures in the country.
The Senate adjourned the session to reconvene on 17 September following the successful passage of the legislation.