Anxious Nigerian workers are wondering why President Muhammadu Buhari appears to be pushing forward the signing of the new minimum wage bill to the administration after him.
The minimum wage bill which had been deliberated upon an passed by the National Assembly is awaiting the assent of the President to become a law.
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Shedding light on the importance of minimum wage, an economist Ganiyu Adebomehin, described it as “the law that protects workers against unduly low pay.”
“It is the body of law which prohibits employers from hiring employees or workers for less than a given hourly, daily or monthly minimum wage.”
He said more than 90% of the countries in this world have some kind of minimum wage legislation.
Improved Standard Of Living
To this end, the NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, has expressed concern and warned that the President should sign the bill into law before workers day celebration on May 1, 2023.
According to Ozo-Eson, the bill which seeks the payment of ₦30,000 as minimum wage to civil servants will improve the workers standard of living of the workers.
He said the President had held onto the bill for too long, triggering worker’s anxiety and eager anticipation of its approval before he leaves office.
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The issue of minimum wage agitation did not start in Nigeria until after independence in October 1960.
The first minimum wage, however, was not paid until 1978 when Hassan Sunmonu became the first president of the NLC that a structured minimum wage for workers in Nigeria was introduced.
Since then, more and more push for a raise have happened.
But Nigeria’s minimum wage is often far less than what it should be and sometimes critics and analyst blame the lackadaisical attitude in the civil service to the poor minimum wage.
