Domestic Servants in Nigeria to Receive N70,000 Minimum Wage, Senate and NCWS Seek Inclusion
The Nigerian Senate and the National Council for Women Society (NCWS) have joined forces to push for the inclusion of domestic servants in the country’s proposed N70,000 national minimum wage scheme. The move comes after a public hearing on a bill seeking to provide for the domestication and registration of domestic workers and employers in Nigeria.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Babangida Hussaini (APC, Jigawa North West), was met with widespread support from various stakeholders, including the Minister of Labour and other relevant officials. The public hearing was organized by the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity, chaired by Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central).
Senator Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West) spearheaded the call for the inclusion of domestic servants in the national minimum wage scheme. “As a member of this committee, I feel strongly that part of the provisions to be included in this bill is to include the domestic workers, be it housemaid or servants, in the proposed N70,000 national minimum wage law,” he said.
Senator Izunaso argued that if N70,000 is planned to be the lowest wage for the lowest public workers, it should also be the case for the least domestic workers. “We will put it in the bill for implementation by all employers,” he added.
The Acting National President of NCWS, Mrs. Geraldeen Etuk, also expressed support for the inclusion of domestic servants in the proposed national minimum wage law. However, Senator Babangida Hussaini, the sponsor of the bill, expressed doubt about the practical implementation of the additional scope of inclusion of domestic workers in the national minimum wage.
Despite this, Hussaini expressed happiness that the bill received general support from stakeholders. “There is no point making a law that cannot be implemented, but I’m happy that the generality of stakeholders at the public hearing supported the bill and by extension, the proposed law,” he said.
Senator Diket Plang, the chairman of the committee, announced that an agency would be set up for the implementation of the proposed law, with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity driving the operation from the onset.
The proposed inclusion of domestic servants in the national minimum wage scheme is seen as a step towards improving the working conditions and livelihoods of millions of domestic workers in Nigeria.
