The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and federal civil servants have renewed calls for an immediate review of the national minimum wage, insisting that the current ₦70,000 no longer meets the realities of rising inflation and living costs.

Their demand comes as several states have already raised salaries above the national benchmark. On August 27, 2025, Imo State announced a new minimum wage of ₦104,000, while Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Delta, Benue, Osun, and Ondo States have approved wages ranging between ₦73,000 and ₦100,000.

President Bola Tinubu had in July 2024 signed the new National Minimum Wage Bill into law, increasing pay from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 across both public and private sectors. However, labour leaders argue that the value of this adjustment has already been wiped out by inflation.

“The ₦70,000 is not sustainable in today’s economy,” said Benson Upah, Acting General Secretary of the NLC. “If the government does not act quickly, survival will become more difficult.” He added that while the NLC remains open to dialogue, a strike may be unavoidable if authorities fail to respond.

Shehu Mohammed, President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), applauded state governors who have reviewed wages upward, calling them examples for the federal government to follow. He reminded policymakers that labour had initially demanded ₦250,000 as a fair living wage.

“₦70,000 only takes a worker to the office gate, not back home,” Mohammed said. He further urged the government to provide affordable housing, healthcare, and transportation to ease the burden on workers.

In Ogun State, labour leaders indicated they may soon push for a ₦104,000 minimum wage, aligning with Imo’s benchmark. The state NLC Chairman, Hameed Benco, and TUC Chairman, Akeem Lasisi, said in separate interviews in Abeokuta on Sunday that Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration had the financial capacity to meet such a demand, given recent increases in federal allocations.

Lasisi also praised Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State for “laying the foundation” for other governors by approving ₦104,000 as the new minimum wage.