By Muhammad Mamman
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and federal civil servants have called for an immediate upward review of the national minimum wage, warning that the current ₦70,000 benchmark can no longer sustain workers in the face of soaring inflation and skyrocketing living costs.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), union leaders and workers alike decried the erosion of wages by rising food prices, transport fares, rent, electricity tariffs and healthcare costs, insisting that the federal government must respond without delay.
President Bola Tinubu had signed the National Minimum Wage Act into law in July 2024, raising the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 for workers across the federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector. However, several states have since outpaced the federal benchmark, citing worsening economic realities.
On 27 August 2025, Imo State raised its minimum wage to ₦104,000, with Governor Hope Uzodinma describing the increase as part of his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare. Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Delta, Benue, Osun and Ondo states have all approved higher wage floors, ranging between ₦73,000 and ₦100,000.
Benson Upah, Acting General Secretary of the NLC, told NAN that the situation was fast becoming untenable.
“The truth is that ₦70,000 is not sustainable under the present economic climate. Workers are under immense pressure, and unless the government acts swiftly, the crisis of survival will only deepen,” he said.
He added that while labour would continue to pursue dialogue, industrial action remained an option if the federal government failed to act.
Shehu Mohammed, President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), praised governors who had reviewed wages upwards, calling it “a wake-up call” for the federal government.
“From the outset, we demanded a living wage and submitted ₦250,000 as a fair benchmark. ₦70,000 barely gets a worker to the office, let alone sustains a family,” he said.
Civil servants interviewed painted a grim picture of daily survival.
Kemi George, a federal worker, said:
“By the time I pay transport and buy food, nothing is left. Rent and school fees are almost impossible to cover. Our take-home pay doesn’t even last halfway through the month.”
Another worker, Obi Chimaobi, described the minimum wage as “a debt sentence,” adding:
“A bag of rice is now like gold, transport costs rise daily, and with ₦70,000, most families are in deficit before the month ends.”
Others stressed that a fair wage would not only improve workers’ welfare but also drive productivity and reduce corruption.
“A well-paid workforce is a motivated workforce,” said Bola Akingbade, another civil servant.
Labour leaders further argued that higher wages should not be seen as a fiscal burden but as a tool for economic growth, since increased household spending would stimulate businesses and revitalise the economy.
Jeremiah Okon, a government worker, summed it up:
“If states with leaner revenues can pay above ₦70,000, the federal government has no excuse. The minimum wage should be raised to at least ₦150,000. Anything less is unfair and inequitable.”
