The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sounded the alarm, declaring that the recently approved ₦70,000 national minimum wage can no longer sustain Nigerian workers under the current harsh economy.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, revealed that most workers are struggling to afford food, housing, transportation, and electricity bills due to galloping inflation.
He emphasized that unless the Federal Government acts swiftly to adjust wages, the crisis of survival will only deepen, warning that labour unions would not hesitate to embark on strike action if negotiations collapse.
This comes just months after President Bola Tinubu signed the new Minimum Wage Bill into law in July 2024, raising salaries from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
But union leaders argue the increase is already meaningless in today’s economy. The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) President, Shehu Mohammed, disclosed that workers had initially demanded ₦250,000 as a “living wage” rather than a mere minimum wage.
“Our demand from the beginning was for ₦250,000, because ₦70,000 is not enough to sustain a worker and their family,” Mohammed said. He stressed that rising electricity tariffs, skyrocketing food prices, and transport costs have eroded the value of ₦70,000.
He added: “Let’s be realistic. If you pay your electricity bill alone from ₦70,000, the rest can’t even feed a family for 10 days.”
Labour leaders also commended some state governors already paying above the ₦70,000 benchmark, urging the Federal Government to see this as a wake-up call.
As tension mounts, Nigerians await the government’s response to workers’ demand for a fair wage that truly reflects the cost of living.
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