- Akpabio said the current hardship experienced by Nigerians was not caused by the Tinubu administration, which was just one year old.
- The Senate President also appealed to the youth not to allow any group to mislead them politically noting that destruction of any property would cause Nigeria money.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the new minimum wage applies to all employers nationwide.
Earlier on Monday, President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage bill into law.
Last Tuesday, the senate and house of representatives passed the new minimum wage bill.
The bill passed first (President Bola Tinubu’s request), second (debate on general principles), and third readings — all within an hour — in the upper and lower legislative chambers.
The minimum wage has been increased to N70,000 from N30,000, with a provision for a triennial review to ensure its continued relevance.
Speaking on Monday at the State House, Akpabio said the new national minimum wage was for the federal government, states, local governments, the private sector and even individual employers.
“Like I said, this is minimum, this is not maximum. Any employer that has a capacity can pay as much as you want. But no Nigerian worker will offer services and be paid anything less than N70,000 from today,”he said.
“That is the implication of this act. It applies all over the nation. And we are excited that this is happening at a time like this through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; a man who cares for the Nigerian workers.
He said the entirety of the National Assembly moved quickly and passed the bill in one day out of excitement.
“We felt that this was not something we could delay. So, I think the workers are happy.