Nigerian government has stated that civil servants under its payroll will start receiving the new N70,000 minimum wage payment from Thursday, September 26.
Newsmen reported in July that President Bola Tinubu had approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers following months-long talks with organised labour.
The Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage had said civil servants across Nigeria would see their salaries adjusted following the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The decision was confirmed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) issued after a meeting of the Committee.
The committee, consisting of 16 members, was established to execute the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 2024.
However, the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa told DAILY POST exclusively on Thursday that workers will begin to receive their new minimum wage salary payments, starting from Thursday.
Mokwa said he was not sure if the minimum wage would be paid alongside its arrears.
He said, “Federal Government civil servants will start getting the new minimum wage from today (Thursday) this September 2024. What I can tell you is that the minimum wage salary payment is today I am not sure of the arrears.”
This comes after the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, on Tuesday confirmed that the government had approved the upward review of the consolidated public service salary structure (CONPSS) in line with the minimum wage (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Similarly, Newsmen reported on Wednesday night that the government had finally approved an increase in the monthly allowance of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
A press statement issued by the agency’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, on Wednesday night, said corps members’ monthly allowance would henceforth be pegged at N77,000, up from the previous N33,000.
The statement said the increment would be effective from July 2024, in accordance with Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government has approved the increase of Corps Members’ monthly allowance to Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira (N77,000) with effect from July 2024.“This is in line with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
“This was contained in a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, dated 25th September 2024 and signed by the Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta.“Prior to this, the Director General, NYSC Brigadier General YD Ahmed, had paid an advocacy visit to the Chairman in which he solicited for a robust welfare package for Corps Members.
“The NYSC Boss is thankful to the Federal Government for the timely gesture and is optimistic that it will not only bring much needed succour to the Corps Members, but also boost their morale and motivate them to do even more, in their service to the nation.“Before this increase, the monthly allowance for Corps Members was Thirty-Three Thousand Naira (N33,000).”