The senate president’s claim that Nigerians can no longer pay any domestic worker below N70,000 is false, considering that his position contradicts the National Minimum Wage Act 2019.
Akpabio had claimed that Nigerians can no longer pay any domestic worker below N70,000, while speaking at plenary after the minimum wage bill was passed on Tuesday.
“The bill says that if you are a tailor and you employ an additional hand, you cannot pay the person below N70,000. If you are a mother and you have a newborn child and you want to bring in a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay that housemaid below N70,000,” Akpabio said.
“It is not maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry. If you bring in a driver, if you bring in a gateman, you cannot pay that gateman below N70,000. So, I am very delighted that this has been passed, and we now look forward to employers of labor going ahead to improve on what has been set as a benchmark for all and sundry to follow.
READ ALSO: N70,000 New Minimum Wage Applies To Housemaid, Other Domestic Workers — Senate
“So, I congratulate the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), I congratulate all Nigerians, and I congratulate the senate and the national assembly in general for this epoch-making legislation, which has even reduced the time of negotiation from five years to three years in view of the soaring effect of foodstuffs. It is now necessary that we review it every three years instead of five years.”
Akapbio’s remarks have elicited a series of reactions on social media, especially on X, with many questioning his claim.
However, it was discovered that the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 determines who is is exempted, and Section 4 of the act stipulates that the minimum wage requirement does not apply to employers with fewer than 25 employees.
READ ALSO: Wage
According to the law, other businesses exempted from the minimum wage include those with a part-time basis, commission, or piece-rate, workers in seasonal employment like agriculture, and any person employed in a vessel or aircraft to which the laws regulating merchant shipping or civil aviation apply.
Based on these revelations, Akpabio’s claim that any employer who hires a maid or gatekeeper will pay the minimum wage of N70,000 is false.