Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that Nigerian employers are required to pay their employees a minimum wage of ₦70,000.
Akpabio emphasized that employers can no longer pay housemaids, drivers, or gatemen less than ₦70,000 monthly.
The Senate President made this statement during plenary as the Senate passed the new minimum wage bill into law on Tuesday.
Akpabio stated, “If you’re a tailor and you employ additional hands, you can’t pay the person below ₦70,000. If you have a housemaid, you cannot pay them below ₦70,000. If you hire a driver or a gateman, you cannot pay them below ₦70,000.”
This development follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a new minimum wage of ₦70,000 for workers after discussions with organized labour.
Following this approval, the President forwarded the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly for legislative passage.
The Executive Bill, which mandates a ₦70,000 minimum wage and stipulates a three-year review cycle, was rapidly processed during separate plenary sessions of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Both chambers conducted the required three readings and approved the bill through voice votes.
The bill now awaits President Tinubu’s assent, which will formalize the new ₦70,000 minimum wage and the three-year review cycle into law.
