Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that Nigerian employers, including those who employ messengers, personal drivers, and private security guards (Mai-Guards) will no longer be allowed to pay their staff below N70,000 from now on.

Senator Akpabio declared just before the passing into law, of the new minimum wage bill on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, July 23, “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you can’t pay the person below 70,000. If you have a housemaid, you cannot pay less than 70,000. If you hire a driver or a gateman, you cannot pay them less than 70,000.

The Senate President did not specify how defaulters would be identified or the punishment for defaulting.

The Bill is pending approval by President Bola Tinubu, who recently announced the minimum wage after meetings with stakeholders and was adopted by the country's labour unions.