Federal government has warned private companies to ensure the implementation of N70,000 minimum wage to avoid the wrath of the law in place.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria, held in Ikeja, Lagos.
He noted that any company that fails to pay at least N70,000 to its employee could be jailed. His words: “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.”
Abubakar, who was represented by the Director of Employment and Wages of the ministry, John Nyamali, 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”.