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Certain Workers Excluded from Nigeria’s New N70,000 Minimum Wage: Tripartite Committee Report

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Certain Workers Excluded from Nigeria’s New N70,000 Minimum Wage: Tripartite Committee Report

As anticipation builds around the implementation of Nigeria’s new N70,000 minimum wage, a recent report reveals that not all workers will benefit from this increase. The Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage has outlined specific categories of workers who will not be eligible for the new wage, based on criteria beyond the minimum wage threshold.

The committee, consisting of key stakeholders such as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Onyejeocha Nkiruka, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State, labor leaders, and private sector operators, recommended changes to the eligibility criteria for receiving the minimum wage. Their report highlights several categories of workers who may be exempt from the new wage law.

Key Recommendations and Criteria for Exemption

  1. Employer Size and Revenue:
    • The committee recommends that employers with fewer than 10 employees (reduced from the previous 25 employees as per the 2018 Minimum Wage Act) may be exempt from paying the new minimum wage.
    • Businesses with less than N50 million in revenue per quarter or N200 million annually are also eligible for exemption.
  2. Business Type and Age:
    • Nano businesses (managed by 1-3 persons with capital below N50,000) and micro enterprises with 10 or fewer employees are considered for exemption.
    • Startups and businesses in existence for not more than three years could be exempted to encourage entrepreneurship.
  3. Sector-specific Considerations:
    • Industries where staff remuneration is regulated by other Acts of the National Assembly may qualify for exemption.
    • The committee suggests introducing hourly, daily, and weekly wage options for businesses that pay wages outside the traditional monthly system. This measure is intended to accommodate part-time and piece-rate workers in both the organized and informal sectors.
  4. Exemption by Application:
    • Organizations may apply for exemption based on financial constraints such as insolvency, debt crisis, or other financial difficulties that threaten their existence. However, this does not apply to government entities or their ministries, departments, and agencies.

Rationale for Exemptions

The committee aims to prevent unfair exclusion of workers from decent earnings while considering the financial realities of small businesses. The approach focuses on a business’s revenue and financial capacity rather than its employee count, ensuring that exemptions are justified by financial evidence rather than arbitrary limits.

Formal vs. Informal Sector Wage Patterns

The report also differentiates between formal and informal wage patterns:

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Informal Sector: Features varied wage patterns, such as commissions or daily sales-dependent pay. This sector also includes apprenticeships and other non-traditional employment arrangements.

Formal Sector: Includes government and organized private sector businesses where monthly salaries are prevalent. These sectors are typically the focus of national minimum wage laws.

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Tornadoes Leave Six Dead, Including 12-Year-Old Boy, as Powerful Storms Strike Michigan and Oklahoma

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Tornadoes Leave Six Dead, Including 12-Year-Old Boy, as Powerful Storms Strike Michigan and Oklahoma

At least six people have lost their lives and more than a dozen others have been injured after destructive tornadoes tore through parts of the United States, striking the states of Michigan and Oklahoma during a wave of severe storms.

Officials confirmed that four people died in southern Michigan, including a 12-year-old boy, while two others were killed in Oklahoma on Friday. Emergency crews are continuing rescue and recovery operations as authorities assess the full extent of the destruction left behind by the powerful storms.

The violent weather uprooted trees, knocked down power lines, damaged buildings and tore roofs from homes across affected communities.

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The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the dangerous weather system may persist into the weekend. Forecasters said thunderstorms and possible flash flooding could affect areas stretching from the Great Plains down to Texas.

In Michigan, the Branch County Sheriff’s Department reported that three people were killed and 12 others were injured near Union City after a tornado swept through the area on Friday. Authorities also warned residents to expect road closures and power outages through the weekend as recovery efforts continue.

Roughly 50 miles (80 km) away in Cass County, officials confirmed another fatality and several injuries following storm damage.

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Authorities said the tornado caused extensive destruction across the county.

“Multiple large structures — including homes and pole barns — sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction,” officials said in a statement.

Hundreds of residents were also left without electricity after the storm passed through the area.

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Cass County Sheriff Clint Roach announced on Saturday that a 12-year-old boy, Silas Anderson, died from weather-related injuries in Edwardsburg.

“Silas was surrounded by family at the time of his passing,” the sheriff’s office said in a message shared on social media.

Emergency management teams said search and recovery efforts are ongoing as responders continue combing through damaged neighborhoods.

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Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, emergency officials reported that a tornado carved a path of destruction roughly four miles (6.4 km) long through Okmulgee County, located about 30 miles (48 km) south of Tulsa.

County emergency manager Jeff Moore said crews are working urgently to clear debris and restore access to affected areas.

“We’re just getting everywhere as fast as we can, clearing roads as fast we can,” Moore said.

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Authorities confirmed that two people were killed in Beggs, according to the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office.

In response to the devastation, Kevin Stitt, governor of Oklahoma, declared a state of emergency for several counties, including Alfalfa, Creek, Grant, Major, Okmulgee, Rogers, Tulsa and Wagoner.

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Explosion at U.S. Embassy in Oslo May Have Been Terrorism, Norwegian Police Say

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Explosion at U.S. Embassy in Oslo May Have Been Terrorism, Norwegian Police Say

An overnight explosion at the United States embassy in Oslo may have been an act of terrorism, according to police in Norway.

The blast occurred in the early hours of Sunday at the embassy of the United States, causing minor damage to the building but leaving no injuries reported.

Frode Larsen, head of the police joint investigation and intelligence unit, said authorities were considering terrorism as one possible explanation.

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“One of the hypotheses is that it is an act of terrorism, but we are not completely locked into it,” Larsen told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

He later added that investigators must remain open to other possible causes behind the explosion.

Police said “large resources” were dispatched to the area around the embassy at about 01:00 local time (00:00 GMT). Officers are now investigating the incident while maintaining close contact with U.S. diplomats.

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Michael Dellemyr, who is leading the police response, said the explosion occurred near the public entrance to the embassy building, located in the Morgedalsvegen district about 7km (4 miles) outside Oslo’s city centre.

Authorities have searched the surrounding area and issued an appeal for information from anyone who may have seen or heard anything connected to the blast.

Images circulating on social media appear to show shattered glass in the snow outside the entrance to the consular section of the building, cracks in a glass door and dark marks on the tiled floor.

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Norwegian officials condemned the incident, describing it as unacceptable.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the protection of diplomatic missions remains a priority for Norway, stressing that “the security of diplomatic missions is very important to us.”

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Lebanon Says Nearly 400 Killed in Israeli Strikes as U.S. Warns Iranians to Stay Indoors

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Lebanon Says Nearly 400 Killed in Israeli Strikes as U.S. Warns Iranians to Stay Indoors

Lebanon’s health authorities say the death toll from Israeli strikes has risen sharply to 394 people as the regional conflict involving Israel, Iran and their allies intensifies.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said the dead include 83 children and 42 women. Nine rescue workers have also been killed since Lebanon became involved in the ongoing confrontation linked to the U.S.–Israeli campaign against Iran.

The updated figure marks a significant increase from Saturday, when the health ministry reported 294 deaths.

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Iran has also reported heavy casualties. The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said on Friday that 1,332 civilians have been killed in Iran since the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes.

In Israel, emergency service Magen David Adom said 10 people have died since Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Israel’s health ministry added that 1,929 people have been injured and evacuated to hospitals since 28 February, although some of the wounded have been unable to receive treatment due to continued missile attacks.

The conflict has also spread to other parts of the region. The United States Department of Defense confirmed that six U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian drone strike on an American military base in Kuwait last Sunday.

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Elsewhere in the Gulf, the UAE Ministry of Defence reported four deaths linked to the escalating hostilities.

Authorities in Kuwait said two military personnel and two border guards were killed, while the country’s health ministry reported that a young girl died after being struck by falling shrapnel.

In Bahrain, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior said a worker was killed last week after being hit by falling debris during the attacks.

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