Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, which set the national minimum wage at N30,000, has officially expired.
Falana said it is time for the National Assembly to pass a new National Minimum Wage Act.
A statement by the legal luminary pointed to section 3(4) of the Act, which states that the minimum wage expires after five years and must be reviewed.
In his explanation, he noted that as the Act commenced on April 18, 2019, the minimum wage expired on April 18, 2024.
During this year’s Workers Day rally in Abuja, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, minister of state for labour and employment, announced that a new national minimum wage would take effect on May 1, 2024.
However, the federal government has proposed a new minimum wage of N48,000 in its meetings with organised labour but was rejected.
The labour last week Friday announced an indefinite strike over the failure of the federal government to implement a realistic new minimum wage.
Falana 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.
