Federal Government has warned private sector employers to adhere to the payment of N70,000 minimum wage.
Gatekeepers News reports that Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at 13th Annual General Meeting of Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria held in Ikeja, Lagos.
Daju who was represented by Director of Employment and Wages of the Ministry, John Nyamali warned that any deviation would not be tolerated.
According to the minister; the new minimum wage is necessary to address the current economic reality, adding that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.
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.”
“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.”