Breaking: Buhari Signs New Minimum Wage Bill into Law

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the National Minimum Wage Bill into law, approving N30,000 as the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

The development followed the passage of the bill by both chambers of the National Assembly.

The Senate had on March 19, 2019, approved N30,000 as the new minimum wage, while the House of Representatives had earlier passed the legislation before lawmakers suspended plenary activities to participate in the 2019 general elections.

Following its passage, the National Assembly transmitted the bill to President Buhari on March 27 for assent.

Organised labour had mounted pressure on the President to sign the legislation without further delay.

National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, had given May 1, Workers’ Day, as the deadline for the President to sign the new minimum wage into law.

Workers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had also appealed to Buhari to approve the bill before the May 1 celebration.

The signing of the legislation formally established N30,000 as Nigeria’s new national minimum wage, replacing the previous N18,000 minimum wage.

The development marked the conclusion of months of negotiations involving the Federal Government, state governments, organised labour and other stakeholders over a new wage structure for workers.