Sure, let’s break this down into simpler words that everyone can understand. Remember, the goal here is to inform and engage even young readers about the changes happening in Nigeria.
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The Nigeria Senate has decided to increase the lowest amount of money workers can be paid, called the national minimum wage. Before, it was N30,000, but now it will be N70,000. This is now a law.
Godswill Akpabio, who is the President of the Senate, shared this news after they read the bill for the third time in a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
The idea to raise this wage came from President Bola Tinubu. He met with labour leaders last week and suggested that the wage should not only increase but also be reviewed more often. Now, instead of checking every 5 years, they will check every 3 years.
During the meeting, Akpabio explained what the bill is all about and then gave it the go-ahead.
“Honorable colleagues, we are changing the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019 to raise the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. Also, we will now review this every 3 years instead of 5 years,” said Akpabio.
“This bill has now been read for the third time and is approved,” Akpabio concluded.
This bill moved quickly through both houses of the National Assembly, thanks to President Bola Tinubu’s quick action. Both the Senate (the red chamber) and the House of Representatives (the green chamber) agreed to pass it immediately.
After discussing the parts of the bill, the National Minimum Wage Bill was read for the third time and passed by the Senate. The House of Representatives also passed the bill right after that.
President Tinubu will likely sign this bill into law in the coming days.
Background Story
Earlier, President Tinubu sent the National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly for them to think about and approve.
He sent messages to both the Senate and the House of Representatives, asking them to quickly look at the bill to change the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019. The new changes will raise the minimum pay from N30,000 to N70,000 and shorten the time between wage reviews from 5 years to 3 years.
Newslodge had earlier reported that an agreement was reached between President Tinubu and labour leaders to set N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Initially, the government wanted to propose N62,000, but the labour leaders asked for N250,000, leading to a disagreement.
After many talks between the President and labour leaders over the past few weeks, both sides finally agreed on N70,000. This followed months of talks that didn’t reach an agreement.
A committee made up of state and federal government officials, as well as the private sector, had suggested N62,000. But the labour leaders insisted on N250,000. They argued that N30,000 was not enough for any worker, especially with the high prices of goods and services after the President removed the petrol subsidy.