The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said the newly approved minimum wage applies to all workers in public and private sectors, including domestic workers.

The Senate approved the bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, raising the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.

Speaking during the plenary session when both chambers of the National Assembly passed the bill, Akpabio said employers are now mandated to pay their staff a minimum wage of N70,000.

He emphasised that even small-scale employers, including those in informal sectors including domestic work and tailoring, must adhere to the minimum wage when hiring additional help.

He said, “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay them below N70,000. If you are a mother with a newborn child and you want to hire a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay the person below the approved minimum wage. It is not a maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry.

“If you hire a driver or gateman, you cannot pay them below N70,000. So, I’m very delighted that this has been passed and we now look forward to employers of labour improving on what has been set as a benchmark for all to follow.

“I congratulate the Nigeria Labour Congress, all Nigerians and the National Assembly for this epoch-making legislation, which has even reduced the term of negotiations from five years to three years, in view of the increasing cost of living. This is again, a landmark legislation, so congratulations.”