June 15, (THEWILL)- The Senate has assured Nigerian workers of speedy passage of the proposed National Minimum Wage Bill.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, gave the assurance on Friday when he spoke with newsmen in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, in his Democracy Day national broadcast, had assured the Organised Labour that an executive bill on the new national minimum wage for workers will soon be sent to the National Assembly.
“In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less”, the President said.
Speaking on Friday, Senator Adaramodu said the Executive Bill would be presented to the National Assembly after the Sallah holiday.
“Yes, if immediately after Sallah, the Bill is brought by Mr President to the National Assembly, it’s going to be dealt with, with the speed of lightning. Yes, we are going to pass it because it is for the benefit of Nigerian workers.
“So we are not going to sit down and just say that the Bill has been passed. So we go through the crucibles. So within the time, if there are no oppositions from outside, if there are no oppositions from within, there can never be opposition from within because it’s going to be a kind of agreement between Labour, government and organised private sector. So once that one is there and then it comes to us, definitely we will go through the processes without delay and make sure that Nigerian workers get their deal”, he said.
Asked if the new minimum wage would be binding on state governors who have expressed strong reservations about their financial capacity, to pay N62,000, Adaramodu said “Since they are all meeting, we know that at the end of the day, all of them will agree on the figure because when it’s an executive bill, an executive bill means state executive, federal executive and even local government executive.
“So definitely there is going to be an agreement. So once there’s an agreement, the bill will come and I don’t think any of the components of the negotiating bodies will oppose the agreed figure at the end of the day. So we don’t have any fear about that. You know when you are negotiating, you negotiate for various reasons, parameters and parallels. So at the end of the day, all the lines will converge and meet at a concentric point. So that’s where we now come in. So we come in at the end of the tunnel and then we’ll pick it from there and make it into law so that we can have a better deal for Nigerian workers.
“We are going to do a watertight bill that we are proposing that the president will sign to ensure that it is strictly adhered to as a law. Once it becomes law, we are going to make it watertight. And don’t let us just speculate what are going to be the ingredients that the federal government will be putting into the bill that will be brought by the Executive to be submitted to the National Assembly.
“But when it comes, whatever is there and whatever is not there, we are going to ensure that it’s going to be watertight, that it’s going to be obeyed by all. And from that, again, when we are talking of minimum wage, is it about the federal government alone? Because it seems that it is a fight between the federal government and labour. That’s the way everybody is looking at it. So we keep mentioning the federal government, we keep mentioning President Tinubu and Labour.
“So we don’t even talk about the organised private sector. We don’t even talk about the sub-nationals. And then it behooves the NLC, which recognises the workers in the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to look at the NLC that recognises them as their members, to even ensure that they advocate for them. The issue of some states still paying N18,000, though I don’t know because I don’t suspect that one to be happening. So if there are some states paying that, what have the labour centres in those states done in order to ensure compliance with that N30,000 minimum wage?
“So we need to ask them questions too. But like I said, the National Assembly is going to make this law seriously watertight so that either the state or sub-national or organised private sector that is not complying, there is going to be sanction for it. So that’s the way it’s going to be done this time around. But the labour centres too need to protect the welfare of their members, not only with the Federal Government.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
