House Of Reps Demands New Minimum Wage For Workers, Forms Committee

The House of Representatives has decided to form an ad hoc committee to guarantee that all workers in the nation get a livable wage.

The resolution was adopted following the passage of a motion supported by 35 members at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.

Rep. Aliyu Madaki (NNPP-Kano State), who introduced the motion, claimed that the typical Nigerian was finding it more difficult to pay for necessities including food, water, housing, healthcare, education, and clothes due to the nation’s high inflation rate.

According to him, the cost of living has increased dramatically as a result of the nation’s growing inflation rate, with prices for housing, food, transportation, and education all increasing.

The politician claims that Nigeria is a party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

He cited Article 23 of the Declaration, which said that every working person has the right to fair compensation to ensure that they may support themselves and their families in a dignified manner.

According to Madaki, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be fulfilled by 2030. He also stated that eight of the 17 SDGs called for the provision of a livable income.

The lawmaker said that the World Bank research indicated that the nation’s poor buying power, which was caused by a high rate of inflation, had increased poverty nationwide.

“Recall when the fuel subsidy was removed in May 2023, the Federal Government offered palliatives to cushion its effects.

“We are aware that wage award was granted by the president recently, but the purchasing power is low, owing to the continued rise in the cost of living in the country and the fall of the naira.

“We are also aware that Trade Economics in 2018 reported the living wage for an individual Nigerian and a Nigerian family to be N43,200 per month and N137,600 per month, respectively. This was a pre-subsidy removal report.

“Further note that presently, no labourer can live in Nigeria with a wage of less than N100,000.00,” he said. [CONTINUE READING HERE]