The Federal Government has warned private-sector employers in the country over failure to pay the N70,000 minimum wage.
The government stated that defaulters of the newly established minimum wage risk potential imprisonment.
John Nyamali, Director of Employment and Wages of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, who represented the Permanent Secretary made the announcement during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.
He said, “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.”
Stressing that no public or private worker should earn less than the stipulated wage, Nyamali said, “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.”
Also speaking, President of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo said, “We are already committed to the minimum wage and providing decent jobs for Nigerians while preventing the exploitation of human resources.”
On her part, the Chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Funmilayo Sessi urged prompt implementation of the wage.
She said, “The N70,000 is not 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.”
