The Nigeria Labour Congress has rejected the proposal of N100,000 as new minimum wage by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, saying that a realistic living wage under the current economic conditions should be as high as N1m.
This was revealed by NLC spokesperson, Benson Upah, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.
He said this as a reaction to a comments by the NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who said that governors were considering a new national minimum wage of N100,000.
Revealing this during Sallah visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos, AbdulRazaq, said governors were already engaging the Federal Government and organised labour to arrive at a wage structure that balances workers’ welfare with fiscal sustainability due to rising inflation and increasing costs of living.
In response, NLC said that N100,000 was below what workers required to cope with current economic realities in Nigeria.
“We consider it thoughtful of the Kwara State Governor for proposing this, but certainly, N100,000 falls far below or behind the realistic figure.
“Given the realities around the exchange rate, inflation, raised tariffs, surge in the pump price of petrol and associated costs, decline in the purchasing power of the average worker, effects of the new regime of taxes on our cost of living, the realistic figure, subject to status quo maintenance, would be N1m,” he stated.
According to punch, Upah argued that government revenues had improved significantly and should support enhanced remuneration for workers.
“In light of the earnings by governments, this should not be a big issue. Check what is being shared at FAAC. The windfall from the Middle East war has put over N5tn in the treasury. Though this is temporary, it is nonetheless very good for governments,” he added.
In 2024, the Federal Government approved a new national minimum wage of N70,000 after protracted negotiations with organised labour but labour leaders have maintained that the current wage is inadequate considering persistent inflation and the rising cost of living.
