The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on private sector recruitment agencies to enforce the new $42 (N70,000) minimum wage, warning that any failure to comply will not be tolerated.
The government stressed that no Nigerian worker, whether in the public or private sector, should earn less than the legal minimum wage.
Since the national minimum wage was raised from $18 (N30,000) to $42 in July, implementation has been sluggish across Nigeria, with many Governors citing limited resources as a barrier to meeting the new wage.
“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,” said Kachollom Daju, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. Daju, represented by John Nyamali, Director of Employment and Wages, spoke at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria in Lagos.
She continued, “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.”
It remains to be seen if this call will prompt better implementation of the new national minimum wage.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
