The Federal Government has warned that private-sector employers offering wages below the newly set minimum wage of N70,000 risk jail time.
This was stated during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, which took place in Ikeja, Lagos.
In the meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, was represented by John Nyamali, the Director of Employment and Wages.
He stated, “the minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers. Emphasizing the necessity of the updated wage to address current economic conditions, the government asserted that no Nigerian worker, whether in public or private employment, should earn less than this minimum.
“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.
“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”
Chairperson of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Funmilayo Sessi, on her part, underscored the impact of economic challenges on workers’ incomes, urging private employers to promptly implement the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The N70,000 isn’t sufficient in today’s economic realities. Once the consequential adjustment is finalized, all private employment agencies must begin paying their workers the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The NLC in Lagos State will ensure strict enforcement, and EAPEAN should avoid any conflict with the NLC regarding the minimum wage,” Sessi added.
Recall that President Tinubu had approved the N70,000 minimum wage, stating that no one in the federal establishment should earn less than that amount.
