The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has asked the State Ministry of Labour and Productivity to serve statutory compliance notices on multinational companies yet to implement the approved minimum wage.
Lawmakers also urged relevant enforcement bodies to apply the provisions of the Minimum Wage Act and other labour laws against defaulting organisations.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Labour and Productivity on a motion seeking stronger action to ensure that multinational companies in the state pay the approved wage.
Presenting the committee’s report during Thursday’s plenary, the committee chairman, Hon. Sunday Johnny, said findings showed that only a small number of companies operating in Akwa Ibom had fully complied with the new wage structure.
The report stated that while the national minimum wage of N70,000 was approved by President Bola Tinubu, and Akwa Ibom workers were placed on N80,000 by Governor Umo Eno, most of the companies reviewed by the committee had yet to implement either benchmark.
According to the committee, several organisations blamed their failure to comply on financial pressure and what they described as the absence of clear official directives.
The lawmakers, however, said the pattern of non compliance pointed to weak enforcement and poor observance of existing labour regulations.
To strengthen implementation, the House called on labour inspectors and other regulatory bodies to carry out regular and surprise checks across both public and private sector workplaces in the state.
It also urged the state government, through the relevant ministries, departments and agencies, to issue unambiguous implementation circulars and improve coordination among enforcement institutions to ensure that the law is applied uniformly.
The report came before the House through a motion moved by the House Leader, Rt. Hon. Otobong Bob, and seconded by the Deputy Leader, Hon. Nsidibe Akata.
The original motion had been presented during plenary on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, before it was referred to the Committee on Labour and Productivity for further legislative work.
The committee said it would also intensify oversight by carrying out both scheduled and unscheduled visits to companies that claim to have complied, with payroll records to be examined as part of the verification process.
During the same sitting, a bill seeking to establish the Akwa Ibom State Mineral Resources Development Agency was read for the first time. The proposed law, sponsored by the member representing Ikono State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Asuquo Udo, along with nine other lawmakers, was referred to the Committee on Rules, Business, Ethics and Privileges for rescheduling.
