The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and federal government workers have renewed calls for an urgent upward review of the national minimum wage, insisting that the current ₦70,000 benchmark has become unsustainable amid worsening economic conditions.
Their demand follows recent decisions by several states to increase workers’ salaries above the ₦70,000 level in response to inflation, high food prices, transportation costs, and rising utility bills.
President Bola Tinubu had signed the new National Minimum Wage Bill into law in July 2024, raising the wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000. The law applies to federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector.
However, on August 27, 2025, Imo State raised the minimum wage to ₦104,000 following negotiations between Governor Hope Uzodinma and organized labour. Earlier, Lagos and Rivers states increased their wages to ₦85,000, with Lagos promising a further raise to ₦100,000 in 2025. Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom approved ₦80,000, Ogun and Delta set ₦77,000, Benue and Osun raised to ₦75,000, while Ondo pegged its wage at ₦73,000.
Mr. Benson Upah, Acting General Secretary of the NLC, said in Abuja on Sunday that galloping inflation has eroded the value of ₦70,000, making survival nearly impossible for workers.
“The truth is that ₦70,000 is not sustainable under the present economic situation. Workers are under immense pressure, and unless the government responds quickly, the crisis of survival will only worsen. We have since engaged the Federal Government on this matter at different times and fora. It is our hope that the government would see both the economic and moral obligations to do so expeditiously,” he said.
Upah stressed that while labour would continue to dialogue, industrial action could be considered if negotiations fail. He also urged workers to remain united and active in union activities.
Similarly, Mr. Shehu Mohammed, President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), commended governors who had revised wages upward, describing their actions as both a wake-up call and an eye-opener for the federal government.
“Right from the beginning, during the negotiation, our demand was for a living wage, and we submitted ₦250,000 as a reasonable benchmark. We told the government that anything short of that only takes a worker to the gate of the office, not back home,” he said.
Mohammed explained that with electricity tariffs, transportation costs, and food prices rising daily, ₦70,000 barely lasts workers two weeks. He urged the federal government to pair wage increases with policies that reduce the cost of living, such as affordable housing, healthcare, and subsidised transport.
Federal government workers interviewed by NAN also expressed their frustrations. Mrs. Kemi George said her income barely covered transport and food, leaving rent and school fees unaffordable.
“By the time I pay transport to work and buy food, nothing is left. Rent and school fees are almost impossible to cover. It is only God that has been sustaining us because our take-home pay is nothing compared to what we spend in a month,” she said.
Mr. Obi Chimaobi added that ₦70,000 could no longer sustain an average family: “Things are no longer affordable. A bag of rice is now like gold, transport fares keep rising daily, and with ₦70,000, you are already in debt before the month even ends. The Federal Government must act very fast in reviewing workers’ wages.”
Another civil servant, Mrs. Bola Akingbade, emphasized that “a well-paid workforce is a motivated workforce,” adding that better pay would not only reduce corruption but also improve productivity across ministries, departments, and agencies.
She concluded that reviewing wages was not just about appeasing unions but about restoring dignity to work and reinforcing the social contract between the government and the people.
