Why Buhari Is Yet To Sign The N30,000 Minimum Wage Bill – Presidency Explains
The
Presidency has explained that President Buhari is yet to sign the
National Minimum Wage Bill just passed by the National Assembly into
law, contrary to reports last week that he had done so.
The Senate had on March 19 passed the bill, approving N30,000 as the
new national minimum wage. By its action, the Senate concurred the
earlier decision of the House of Representatives, which passed the bill
before the National Assembly shut down its operations to enable
lawmakers to participate in the 2019 general elections, beginning from
February 16.
Last week, there were social media reports, claiming that Buhari had
assented to the bill, but speaking in an exclusive interview with
Punch in Abuja on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang,
dismissed the reports.
He said that signing of bills was not done in secrecy, as the
President would normally communicate his decision to Nigerians publicly.
Enang clarified that Buhari had yet to sign the bill on the grounds
that there were operational procedures to be followed. However, he
confirmed that the bill, which captured N30,000 as the new national
minimum wage, had been transmitted to Buhari by the National Assembly.
Enang said, “The bill has been transmitted to Mr President; that I
can confirm. Right now, the bill is undergoing standard presidential,
operational procedures in respect of bills. We are within time. At the
appropriate time, Mr President will take a decision and make it public.
Therefore, the report that Mr President has already signed the bill is
not correct.”
The passage of the bill by the Senate coincided with the submission
of the report on the new national minimum wage by the Presidential
Technical Advisory Committee Buhari set up to advise the Federal
Government on how to pay a wage increase above the current N18,000.
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