The Federal Government has warned private sector employers that paying less than the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage can land them in jail.
Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, said this on Wednesday during the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria in Lagos State.
He noted that the Federal Government and organized labor reached an agreement on the new minimum wage to tackle the current economic challenges in the country.
While stressing the necessity of the updated wage to address current economic conditions, the government asserted that no Nigerian worker, whether in public or private employment should earn less than this minimum.
“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage.
“The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000 and I think that should be after all deductions. The minimum wage is a law and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The FG is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000”.