Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, has denied media reports claiming the Senate plans to include a clause for seizing state and local council funds in the proposed New Minimum Wage Bill.

A national daily had reported that lawmakers would propose seizing statutory allocations of sub-national governments that fail to pay the new wage once it becomes law. Adaramodu dismissed this report as baseless.

Adaramodu clarified that the Senate could not take a position on a bill that had not been submitted. “Mr. President informed Nigerians on Democracy Day that he would soon send the New Minimum Wage Bill to us,” he said. “No one among us, not even the Senate President, knows the content of the bill. How can we take a position on a document that we haven’t even seen?”

He emphasized that during his interaction with journalists, he never mentioned seizing state or local government allocations. “Nigeria is a federation with autonomous sub-national governments. The misleading headline suggesting otherwise is false and should be disregarded.”

Adaramodu explained that the Senate is still waiting for the Executive Bill. “Once we have it, it will go through all legislative stages. If it receives Presidential assent, it becomes law. Only law can specify sanctions, not the National Assembly,” he stated.

The Senate spokesperson maintained that the report attributed to him was a misrepresentation of his session with newsmen.