From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate has revealed that the expected minimum wage bill from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be considered and passed possibly within 30 minutes.
Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, in a chat with newsmen, said the bill may likely be sent to the National Assembly by President Tinubu after the Sallah break.
Adaramodu told newsmen that the minimum wage bill with be passed immediately like the National Anthem amendment bill which was passed within 48 hours.
The Senate spokesman revealed that once the bill is passed into law, it becomes an act and any sub-national government that flouts it will be sanctioned.
He said the Senate doesn’t only make laws for the Federal Government, but for every part of the country, including states and local government councils.
He, however, revealed that the sanction would be premised on petitions filed by aggrieved civil servants.
Already, the administration of President Tinubu has proposed N62,000 as the new minimum wage. But the organised labour is insisting on N250,000.
Adaramodu said: “If immediately after Sallah, the bill is brought by Mr. President to the National Assembly, it’s going to be dealt with, with speed of lightning. Yes, we are going to pass it because it is for the benefit of Nigerian workers.
“When we talk of minimum wage, it seems that it is a fight between the federal government and labour. We don’t even talk about the organised private sector. We don’t even talk about the sub-nationals. And then it behooves on the NLC, which recognizes the workers in the organised private sector and the sub-nationals, to even ensure that they advocate for them.
“So we need to ask them question too. But like I said, the National Assembly is going to do this law watertight seriously that the state or sub-national or organised private sector that does not comply, there is going to be sanction for it,” he said.