N30,000 minimum wage, another election promise delivered ― APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the signing into law of N30,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers by President Muhammadu Buhari is another election promise delivered.

Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, made the assertion in a statement on Friday in Abuja, while commending Buhari for signing the new minimum wage bill into law.

“Truly, our workers deserve a new, improved and implementable minimum wage in view of current economic realities.

“Commendably, the welfare of workers has remained a top priority of the Buhari-led APC administration,” he said.

The APC spokesman said that this has been demonstrated by the Federal Government’s bailouts to states to pay workers salary and housing schemes for civil servants among other welfare packages in 2018.

Issa-Onilu congratulated stakeholders that ensured the achievement of this laudable feat, particularly the National Assembly, state governors, the Amma Pepple-led tripartite committee, labour and trade unions and indeed Nigerian workers.

“The signing of new minimum wage is another solid demonstration of a President who matches his words with actions,” he said.

The APC spokesman recalled that Buhari had severally assured of a new and improved national minimum wage for workers.

“The assent of the N30,000 minimum wage by the president is indeed another election promise delivered,” Issa-Onilu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Buhari signed into law the Minimum Wage Repeal and Re-Enactment Act 2019 on Thursday.

By this act, the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers is now N30,000 monthly.

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All employers of labour across the country with at least 25 workers are mandated by the law to pay their workers a minimum of N30,000 monthly wage.

The National Assembly had submitted the minimum wage Bill to the President since March 27.

The Bill approving N30,000 as the new national minimum wage was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly before they went on break for the 2019 general election.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other trade unions had in 2018 insisted on an upward review of the monthly wage of Nigerian workers which was N18,000 before now.

The NLC had used various means, including dialogue and calling for strike to get the federal government and other stakeholders to see reason why the wage of the Nigerian worker needed to be reviewed upward.