The two arms of the National Assembly, Senate and the House of representatives, Thursday gave accelerated considerations to the New Minimum Wage Bill sent to them by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.
While the 8th Senate, for the first time, suspended its rules for the bill to scale first and second reading, the House of Representatives did not only vow to pass the bill within a week but also insisted that the new minimum wage must be N30,000 across board, instead of the N27,000 approved for states and the private sector by the National Council of State, NCS.
The Senate, which also set up an 8-member adhoc committee to look at the bill after it passed second reading, also promised to include domestic servants in the new minimum wage envelope.
Members of the adhoc committee include Senate Majority Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, APC, Osun Central; Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, APC, Edo North, representing the South South; Senator Abu Ibrahim, APC, Katsina South, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour; and Senator Shehu Sani, PRP, Kaduna Central, representing the North West.
Others are Senator Sam Egwu, PDP, Ebonyi North, representing South East; Senator Suleiman Adokwe, PDP, Nasarawa South, North Central; Solomon Adeola, APC, Lagos West, representing South West; and Senator Binta Masi Garba, APC, Adamawa North, representing North East.
The Committee was given two weeks to conclude its assignment and submit the report.
Speaking during the debate on the bill, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, who presided over plenary, noted that the Senate decided to give the National Minimum Wage Bill presented to it by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday an accelerated hearing due to its importance.
Ekweremadu, who noted that this was the first time the 8th Senate would suspend its rules to take a first and second reading of an executive communication, said that the wage should accommodate domestic servants, including drivers.
Commenting on the bill, Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North, said it became imperative to put aside the Senate Standing Orders 2015 as amended for senators give it an expeditious attention.
“This is a very critical bill and I, therefore, feel that the Senate should give it a very expeditious passage; and that requires suspension of Order 79, so that we take the first and second reading immediately and refer it to the relevant committee.
“This is one bill that enjoys the support of every political party in government in Nigeria. The public and civil servants require motivation; they need incentives, they need to be cared for. It is my desire and I am sure it is the position of all the senators that this bill be given expeditious passage so that it takes effect immediately in 2019.”
Seconding the motion raised by the Senate Leader, the Senate Minority leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP Ekiti South, noted that the National Minimum Wage issue was one long awaited by Nigerians, hence the need to give it speedy consideration.
Meanwhile, the Senate, Thursday, adjourned plenary till February 19, after the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
In the House of Representatives, the bill also passed second, as the House constituted an adhoc committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun, to quickly start legislative work on it.
Immediately plenary commenced by 11.22 a.m, the presiding officer, Speaker Yakubu Dogara read out President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter requesting for a speedy legislative work on the National Minimum Wage Bill.
In the letter which was received on Thursday morning by the House leadership, President Buhari in the letter said, among others: “The purpose of this letter is to forward to you for legislative action a new Minimum Wage BIII to further amend the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2011.”
After reading the President’s letter, the speaker called for debates and the recurring words from most lawmakers hinged on the fact that the N27,000 was not adequate and hoped that they endorsed N30,000 as minimum wage.
Earlier, the speaker had vowed that by “Tuesday next week we should have concluded the bill particularly after the adhoc committee’s meeting on Monday.
