THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has called for an immediate upward review of the national minimum wage, stressing that the current N70,000 is no longer adequate to meet rising living costs.
NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, told NAN on Sunday that inflation has eroded the value of the N70,000 minimum wage, leaving many workers struggling to cover basic necessities.
“The truth is that ₦70,0000 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 forums. It is our hope that the government would see both the economic and moral obligations to do so expeditiously,” he said.
They pressed their demand after several states across the country took bold steps to raise workers’ minimum wage above the N70,000 benchmark in response to current economic realities.
President Bola Tinubu signed the new National Minimum Wage Bill into law in July 2024, increasing the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
The amended law covers the entire country, extending to the federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector, which took a while to implement in some states, while other states implemented higher minimum wages for their workers immediately.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State announced minimum wage increase to N85,000, with a promise to further raise it to N100,000 in 2025.
Rivers State equally approved N85,000 minimum wage on October 18, 2024, while Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom states approved N80,000 for their workers.
Ogun and Delta states are implementing a N77,000 minimum wage, Benue and Osun states raised the wage to N75,000, while Ondo state pegged its own to N73,000.
Recently, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma announced an increase in its state minimum wage from N70,000 to N104,000, alongside adjustments across the entire salary structure for its civil servants on August 27, 2025.
Uzodinma explained that the salary review, reached in agreement with organised labour, was aimed at enhancing the welfare of workers.
In his remarks on Sunday, Upah noted that although labour would continue to explore dialogue, industrial action could be an option if negotiations break down.
He further called on workers to stay united and engaged in union activities to reinforce the collective struggle.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.