The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the national minimum wage, warning that the current N70,000 can no longer sustain workers under Nigeria’s harsh economic realities.
Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Benson Upah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that spiralling inflation, skyrocketing food prices and rising costs of housing, transport and basic services had rendered the wage obsolete barely a year after its adoption.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the Minimum Wage Bill into law in July 2024, raising the benchmark from N30,000 to N70,000 and making it applicable across federal, state, local government and private sectors.
But labour leaders insist that the rapid depreciation of the naira and relentless increases in living costs have wiped out the wage’s value. Several states have already moved to surpass the national threshold, with Imo State hiking its minimum wage to N104,000 on 27 August 2025, alongside upward adjustments in its civil service salary structure.
“Workers are simply not surviving on N70,000 anymore,” Mr Upah stressed, urging the Federal Government to follow the example of proactive states and announce a new review before economic hardship deepens further.
Labour unions warn that unless urgent action is taken, the wage meant to provide relief risks becoming another relic of failed reforms.
Get a premium automobile insurance coverage for your vehicle for as low as #15000 only and claim up to #3,000,000 in damages @Zenith Insurance To signup: WhatsApp/Call: +2349028313757
