President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said he needs more time to consult widely on the appropriate amount to be paid as Nigeria’s new national minimum wage for workers. The decision was made during the Federal Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, where the matter was tabled for discussion.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the memo on the minimum wage was stepped down during the meeting because President Tinubu thought it wise to consult with other stakeholders.
The move to review the national minimum wage comes amidst growing demands from labor unions and workers’ organizations for a higher wage to reflect the country’s current economic realities.
The current minimum wage of N30,000 (U.S.$19) has been in place since 2019, and workers have been facing increasing challenges due to inflation, rising living costs, and currency fluctuations.
Labor unions are proposing a new minimum wage of N250,000 (U.S.$164) to ensure that workers’ salaries keep pace with the rising cost of living, calling anything less a “starvation wage.”
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
