The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected suggestions that increasing Nigeria’s minimum wage to N100,000 would be sufficient, arguing that the figure no longer reflects the economic realities facing workers across the country.
The labour union said a more realistic minimum wage should be closer to N1 million, citing rising inflation, the falling value of the naira, high fuel prices, electricity tariff increases, and the growing cost of living.
The reaction followed a proposal by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who recently urged President Bola Tinubu to consider raising the current minimum wage from N70,000 to N100,000.
Speaking on the proposal, NLC spokesperson Benson Upah described the governor’s suggestion as thoughtful but maintained that it still falls far short of what Nigerian workers need to survive under current economic conditions.
According to Upah, workers have continued to experience a sharp decline in purchasing power as prices of food, transportation, housing, healthcare, and other basic necessities keep rising.
“We appreciate the proposal, but N100,000 is still far below a realistic living wage for Nigerian workers,” he said.
The labour leader argued that the combined impact of inflation, exchange rate volatility, increased electricity costs, higher petrol prices, and tax-related expenses has significantly reduced the value of workers’ earnings.
He maintained that any meaningful wage review must take these economic realities into account.
Upah also pointed to improved government revenues, saying authorities now have greater financial capacity to support better wages for workers.
According to him, allocations shared among federal, state, and local governments have increased considerably, while recent developments in the global oil market have boosted government earnings.
The NLC spokesperson insisted that workers deserve wages that can genuinely improve their living standards rather than amounts that are quickly eroded by inflation.
His comments have added fresh momentum to the ongoing debate over wage review in Nigeria, less than two years after President Bola Tinubu approved the increase of the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
The current minimum wage law provides for periodic reviews every three years, meaning discussions around another adjustment are likely to continue as economic pressures persist.
Meanwhile, economists and policy experts remain divided on the issue, with some supporting higher wages for workers while others warn about the possible impact on government finances and inflation.
