Now, wey di lawmakers don pass National Minimum Wage Act 2024, all employers of labor for Nigeria go begin pay dia low ranking staff atleast 70,000 naira ($43) monthly as approved by di president.
Many Nigerian workers don dey cry say di harsh economic situation no let dia take-home of 30,000 naira ($18) dey in tune wit di economic reality and substantially of dia lifestyle.
For di past five years, Nigeria goment don set minimum wage as 30,000 naira ($18) per month, wey bin dey $80 in 2019, wey devaluation of naira cause.
Last week Thursday, president Bola Tinubu and organised labour union agree on 70,000 naira as di new minimum wage for Nigeria.
Di new minimum wage don take effect immediately as federal lawmakers don pass di Minimium Wage Act 2024 into law to implement di approved 70,000 naira minimum wage.
In public sector, goment go pay civil servant based on dia job position, wey go reflect on di approved wages for di staff.
Meanwhile, in di private sector, business always strive to make profit. Di new minimum wage go influence di prices of items for market as business owners and private employers go add di cost of labour into di goods and services.
However, Senate president, Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday tok say di newly approved minimum wage na benchmark wey apply to all workers for public and private sectors, including low ranking staff.
Di senate president explain say if you be private employer and you employ nanny or driver you go need pay dem di new minimum wage of 70,000 naira.
“If you be tailor and you employ additional hands, you no fit pay dem below 70,000 naira. If you be mama wit newborn child and you wan hire housemaid to look afta your pikin, you no fit pay di pesin below di approved minimum wage. No be maximum wage. E apply to all,” Akpabio tok.
“If you hire driver or gateman, you no fit pay dem below N70,000. So, I dey happy say we don pass dis, and we dey look forward to employers of labour to improve on di benchmark we don set.”
“I congratulate di Nigeria Labour Congress, all Nigerians, and di National Assembly for dis epoch-making legislation, wey don reduce di term of negotiation from five years to three years in view of di food inflation.”
70,000 naira minimum wage go benefit low income earner?
Nigeria inflation rise from 33.95% to 34.19% from May to June 2024, dis don affect di prices of food items for market and many low income Nigerians no fit feed well.
Wen BBC follow some young Nigerians wey dey do dia National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) tok, dem say di money go help dem becos dem dey reduce di quantity of dia food as di inflation currently dey
Braimoh-Igbo Ibrahim, one corps member for Lagos tok say e dey fair for dem as goment don increase di minimum wage becos tins dey difficult for low income earner as dem also need to survive.
“Minimum wage wey dem pass na good one but we need do sometin wey go ensure say dis economy work for us,” e tok
“I dey happy becos wetin 33,000 naira fit buy right now, even di food and transportation dey above wetin we dey earn.”
Anoda corps member for Lagos batch C, Taiwo Obisanya tok say she no dey certain weda goment go include dem in di minimum wage as a goment scheme but if goment include corp members na good tin becos 33,000 naira no dey enough for dem.
“Wen we look at di money we spend on transport to our PPA and CDS. You go realise say our salary no dey enough, we corpers wey dey work in some organisation wey no dey pay us salaries, na only goment salary we dey collect and e dey unfair.
“I get high hope fit we get 70,000, but den if e happun I go dey for myself and my fellow corp members,” she tok
While, many dey happy ova di increment of minimum wage di future dey uncertain for private job employers in Nigeria as private business owners fit begin cut jobs.
Many companies don dey hit wit di high cost of running profitable business in Nigeria sake of devaluation of naira, removal of fuel subsidy, increment of electricity tariff, among odas.
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