The Federal Government has dished out a warning to private-sector employers who are paying less than the newly established N70,000 minimum wage, urging them to comply with the law.
Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, delivered this warning on Wednesday in Lagos during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria.
Represented by John Nyamali, the Director of Employment and Wages, Abubakar emphasized that the new minimum wage is now legally binding.
“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,” he said.
He further urged private employment agencies to ensure that all contracts include the minimum wage requirement.
“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,” he added.
Abubakar also reiterated the legal consequences for non-compliance: “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.”
