It sounds like Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced a significant update regarding the minimum wage in Nigeria.

According to his declaration, all employers, regardless of their size or sector, including small-scale operators and those in informal sectors like domestic work and tailoring, are now mandated to pay their employees a minimum wage of ₦70,000.

This directive was made official when Akpabio enacted the new minimum wage bill into law during a Senate session.

This move aims to ensure fair compensation across various employment sectors in Nigeria.

“If you’re a tailor and you employ additional hands, you can’t pay the person below ₦70,000. If you have a housemaid, you cannot pay them below ₦70,000. If you hire a driver or a gateman, you cannot pay them below ₦70,000,” he said.

On Tuesday, July 23, the Senate approved the bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, raising the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.

At the plenary, the lawmakers also agreed to shorten the period for reviewing the National Minimum Wage from five years to three years.