Following the passage of the new Minimum wage act by the Senate on Tuesday, July 24, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has warned that domestic staff and artisans must not be paid less than the mandatory N70,000 minimum wage.

Speaking after the bill was passed, Akpabio said ‘’If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay the person below N70,000. If you are a mother and you have a newborn child and you want to bring in a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay that housemaid below N70,000.

It is not a maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry. If you bring in a driver, a gateman, you cannot pay below N70, 000. I am very delighted that this has been passed and we now look forward to employers of Labour going ahead to improve on what has been set as a benchmark for all and sundry''