Employers paying less than N70,000 risk imprisonment — FG
Employers paying less than N70,000 risk imprisonment — FG
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Federal Government has warned employers, cautioning that any company paying employees less than the new minimum wage of N70,000 could face imprisonment.
The warning came during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday, September 18.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, represented by the Director of Employment and Wages, John Nyamali, emphasised that the new minimum wage is legally binding.
Nyamali stressed the importance of wage adjustment, which reflects the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
The remark reads, “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. Emphasizing the necessity of the updated wage to address current economic conditions, the government asserted that no Nigerian worker, whether in public or private employment, should earn less than this minimum.
“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.
“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.”
