Senate passes N70,000 new minimum wage bill

Maureen Aguta

In a speedy way, the bill, scaled first, second and third readings, just minutes after it was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu and was immediately passed by the upper chamber.

The Nigerian Senate has passed into the law the newly amended national minimum wage Act.

In a speedy way, the bill, scaled first, second and third readings, just minutes after it was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu and was immediately passed by the upper chamber.

In what was an unanimous vote after a clause consideration in the Committee of the Whole, the National Minimum Wage Bill scaled third reading and was passed.

It would be recalled that the President transmitted the National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.

The President had separately written the Senate and the House of Representatives requesting expedited consideration of a bill for an Act to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019 to increase the National Minimum Wage from N30,000 to N70,000.

He also sought that the lawmakers reduce the time for periodic review of the national minimum wage from five years to three years and related matters.

Earlier the Nigerian government and the leadership of the Organised Labour agreed on N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

This came after a protracted disagreement that led to strike actions by the NLC.