President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will soon receive the newly passed minimum wage bill for his assent, following its accelerated approval by both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
During separate plenary sessions, both the Senate and House of Representatives expedited the bill through three readings, culminating in its passage via voice votes.
The executive bill, which sets the minimum wage at N70,000 and mandates a review every three years, was introduced by the presiding officers in both chambers. The bill aligns with an agreement reached between organized labor, the private sector, and the government.
In a letter to the National Assembly, President Tinubu presented the bill, urging lawmakers to expedite its passage. The bill also shortens the period for considering and approving a new minimum wage from five years to three, a commitment Tinubu made during discussions with labor leaders.
Majority Leaders Opeyemi Bamidele and Julius Ihonvbere moved motions to suspend relevant rules, allowing for the second and third readings of the bill. House Minority Whip Hon. Ali Isa JC (PDP, Gombe) supported Ihonvbere’s motion.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives members unanimously supported the motions when put to a voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
Leading the debate on the bill’s general principles, Senator Bamidele explained that it seeks to amend the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, increasing the national minimum wage and reducing the review period from five years to three. He called on his colleagues to support the bill’s passage.
Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, seconded the motion, praising the reduction in the review interval. No senator opposed the bill during its consideration by the Committee of the Whole.
The Senators unanimously approved the bill’s third reading and passage when it was put to a voice vote by Akpabio
