The Nigerian senate has passed the new minimum wage bill for a third reading on Tuesday
The bill passed first (President Bola Tinubu’s request), second (debate on general principles), and third readings on Tuesday — all within an hour.
The legislation seeks to raise the country’s minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
While leading a debate on the bill, Opeyemi Bamidele, majority leader of the senate, said N70,000 was agreed upon by all the parties after negotiations.
This is part of the federal government’s short term measure to mitigate the situation in the country,” Bamidele said.
On his part, Tahir Monguno, chief whip, said there is a need to review the minimum wage in line with economic realities.
“The review of the minimum wage used to be after every five years. It is now every three years,” Monguno said.
“There is a need to review it and bring it in tandem with the realities of society.”
Thereafter, the senate dissolved into the “committee of the whole” to approve clauses of the bill.
DAILY GIST reported earlier that President Bola Tinubu forwarded the new minimum wage bill to the national assembly for passage into law
Tinubu’s request is contained in letters dispatched to the national assembly leadership.
The letters were read by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house; and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Tuesday.
The bill seeks to formalise the N70,000 minimum wage recently agreed between the federal government and organised labour.
President Tinubu had announced N70,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country.
The President also promised to review the wage after three years.
