The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the national minimum wage, insisting that the current N70,000 benchmark is no longer sustainable under the prevailing economic realities.
President Bola Tinubu in July 2024 signed a new wage law which moved the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 for workers in the federal, state, and private sectors.
However, the Congress says inflation, high transport fares, rising food costs, and surging electricity bills have quickly eroded the benefits of the increase.
Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, told the News Agency of Nigeria that workers are under severe strain.
According to him, unless the Federal Government intervenes with a higher wage or relief measures, the “crisis of survival” will deepen. He noted that while the NLC remains open to dialogue, industrial action cannot be ruled out if government fails to act.
Already, some states have taken the lead in adjusting salaries upward. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, recently approved N104,000 as minimum wage for workers, while Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Enugu, Niger, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Delta, Benue, Osun, and Ondo states have also announced salary reviews, with Lagos targeting N100,000 by 2025.
The President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, Shehu Mohammed, described the moves by the states as an “eye-opener” for the Federal Government. He recalled that labour initially demanded N250,000 as a realistic benchmark for a living wage, stressing that N70,000 cannot even sustain a family for ten days after electricity bills are deducted.
He further urged governments at all levels to complement wage increases with policies that reduce the cost of living through affordable housing, healthcare, and subsidised transportation.
Some federal workers who spoke with NAN also lamented that the present wage structure is grossly inadequate, making daily survival increasingly difficult.