The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said on Monday that the national minimum wage was for the whole nation.

Mr Akpabio made the remark during the signing ceremony of the Minimum Wage Act (Amendment) Bill into law by President Bola Tinubu at the State House.

He said the new national minimum wage was for the federal government, states, local governments, the private sector and even individual employers.

“So, I think this is a great day for the workers in the country. We are not only doubling the minimum wage; we have added something on top. Initially, it was N30,000; now it is N70,000.

“Like I said, this is the minimum; this is not the maximum. Any employer that has the capacity can pay you as much as you want. But no Nigerian worker will offer services and be paid anything less than N70,000 today.

“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.

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.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on those who are attempting to foment trouble that you have a right to protest. It is your fundamental right. It is in the constitution.

“But you don’t have a right to destabilise the country. The right to protest should not be turned into the right to unleash violence. It’s very clear that the people who are behind this are very amorphous, very faceless,” said Mr Akpabio.

He said the current hardship experienced by Nigerians was not caused by the Tinubu administration, which was just one year old.

“It is the outcome of years of insecurity. Many people could not go to farms for almost 10 years and knew that, and the president has risen to the occasion.

“Every food item that is coming in now will come in without any restrictions; bring in food because Nigerians need to eat. And then, at the same time, most things are coming in with a lot of waivers.

“So, for me, I’m excited that yes, indeed, the government is doing what it should. And we, the leaders in the National Assembly, are touching our various constituencies,” he said.

He appealed to the youth not to allow any group to mislead them politically, noting that the destruction of any property would cost Nigeria money.

He said the bill to finance the new minimum wage had gone very far and that he expected it to be signed into law by Wednesday.

Julius Ihonvbere, who represented Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, said the signing into law of the minimum wage bill by the president showed that he cared about the Nigerian people.

“So, I think this movement from N30,000 to N70,000 and reducing the negotiation from five to three years is a clear demonstration of a commitment to redirect, refocus and reposition Nigeria for greatness,” he said.

On July 18, Mr Tinubu increased the federal government’s offer on the national minimum wage from N62,000 to N70,000, with the assurance that it would be reviewed after three years instead of five.

The president said the labour leaders challenged the thinking faculty of leadership; hence, the government reviewed its position and approved a new N70,000 minimum wage.

(NAN)