Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, signed the new minimu wage bill into law, granting the country’s workers a 67 percent increase in wages when the law comes into effect.
“Implementation takes effect from today. This means no Nigerian worker will earn less than 30,000 naira monthly,” Ita Enang, Buhari’s adviser on the legislature told reporters at the nation’s capital.
The new law raises minimum wage from N18,000 ($50) a month to N30,000 ($83).
“You can see me smiling on behalf of Nigerian workers. President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the Minimum Wage Repeal and Enactment Act 2019,” she added.
It will be recalled that the country’s trade union federations pushed for the increase in minimum wage, going on strike on the heel of the February elections, which prompted an agreement by President Buhari to increase the minimum wage.
Following the new increase, the outgoing Nigerian senate president, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, hailed the new law, congratulating the Nigerian workers.
“I congratulate Nigerian workers on the assent of the N30,000 minimum wage into law. This reviewed wage, which is aimed at increasing the productivity of Nigerian workers, is a good step in the right direction for our nation’s workforce — who are the lifeblood of our dear country,” Saraki tweeted on his verified Twitter handle.
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