The Federal Government has warned private-sector employers emphasizing that paying employees less than the new minimum wage of N70,000 could result in serious consequences, including imprisonment.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to enforcing the N70,000 minimum wage law.
Represented by John Nyamali, Director of Employment and Wages, Daju spoke at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria held in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Daju, the minimum wage is now a law, making it a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to their workers.
Emphasizing the importance of the updated wage in addressing current economic conditions, the government stressed that no Nigerian worker, whether in public or private employment, should earn less than this minimum.
“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,” Daju stated.
“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.”
Daju further clarified that the N70,000 minimum wage should be the least paid to any worker in Nigeria, after all deductions. “The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions,” she added.
The government urged private employment agencies to ensure compliance with the minimum wage law by making it a mandatory requirement in their contracts. Daju warned that failure to implement the minimum wage would result in severe consequences, including imprisonment.
“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it,” she warned. “The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”
Responding to the government’s directive, the President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr Olufemi Ogunlowo, called for clarity on whether the N70,000 minimum wage applies net or gross, urging the government and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to address any ambiguities in the Act.
“We are already committed to the minimum wage and providing decent jobs for Nigerians while preventing the exploitation of human resources,” Ogunlowo said.
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,” Sessi insisted. “The NLC in Lagos State will ensure strict enforcement, and EAPEAN should avoid any conflict with the NLC regarding the minimum wage.”
