Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment has
threatened legal actions against state governors not paying the new minimum
wage.
Ngige said negotiations were ongoing between him and the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami,
over instituting legal actions against governors who have faulted in paying the
new minimum wage.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Programme, Sunday
Politics, the minister said state governors not paying the minimum wage were
breaching the law of Nigeria.
According to Ngige: “If you read the Act well, you will see
the applicability of the Act. The applicability is that all parts of the
Federation (Section II); Section III also says N30,000 shall be paid, the
operating word is shall.
“It does not give room for picking and choosing, it is a
must. The state governors that are not paying are breaching the law of the
land.
“This is a national law that states what you will pay to the
lowest-paid employee (worker) in your establishment; state governments are
employers… they are caught in the web of this law until repealed.
“I am negotiating with the Attorney-General of the
Federation (AGF); the law permits me to take them to court.
“I can take any employer to court. If governors have
immunity, I can start from the secretary to the government, to the head of
service, and go down to the State Executive Council; take them all to court and
I do not need any permission.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had in April 2019 signed the
minimum wage bill into law.
By the provisions of the law, all employers in the country
are expected to pay their workers not less than the stipulated amount, which is
N30, 000.
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