Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has asserted that the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, which established the national minimum wage at N30,000, has officially lapsed.
According to the legal expert, it is now imperative for the National Assembly to enact a new National Minimum Wage Act.
In a recent statement, Mr. Falana highlighted section 3(4) of the Act, which stipulates that the wage expires after five years and necessitates a review. Further elaborating, he pointed out that since the Act came into effect on April 18, 2019, the minimum wage ceased to be valid on April 18, 2024.
During the recent May Day rally in Abuja, Honourable Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, announced that a new national minimum wage would become effective on May 1, 2024. This declaration followed the Federal Government’s elimination of the fuel subsidy last year, resulting in an additional N35,000 wage supplement for a six-month period commencing September 1, 2023, thereby raising the total monthly wage to N65,000 during that duration. Additionally, several state governments, including Lagos and Edo, established their minimum wage at N70,000.
However, the Federal Government has proposed a new minimum wage of N48,000. This proposal has been met with resistance from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), who have embarked on an indefinite strike over the failure to implement a realistic new minimum wage. Reports indicate that leaders of the National Assembly have stepped in to mediate the situation.
Falana in his brief statement, urged the National Assembly to swiftly pass a new National Minimum Wage Act, similar to the expedited enactment of the new National Anthem Act, which was completed within 48 hours last week.