Nigeria lawmakers have approved N30.000 (US84) as the new minimum wage for workers in that country.
The approval followed the consideration of the report of the new minimum wage committee at plenary and was part of demands by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
The House also approved a clause that would make the new bill operational on the date it would be assented to by the president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that a public hearing was conducted on the new bill consequently upon the accelerated hearing accorded to the bill by the House.
By this development, the House has countered the National Council of State, NCS and the State Governors who had earlier at an emergency meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja approved N27.000.
Meanwhile, the House has formally adjourned plenary to February 19 due to the Presidential and National Assembly elections that would hold February 16.
Earlier, the Federal Government has resolved to engage governors of the 36 states of the federation and the Council of State in a review of Nigeria’s federal allocation sharing formula.
Following the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by the country’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, it was gathered that if agreed upon, the proposed wage would be taken care of as prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
The NGF had recently sought a new fiscal restructuring plan on the grounds that economic challenges in the states would make payment of the new wage difficult.