Nigerian Minimum Wage barely enough for 70% of Workers in Nigeria.

Nigerian Minimum Wage barely enough for 70% of Workers in Nigeria

Nigerian minimum wage of N70,000 barely keeps the lights on for millions of workers. They rise before dawn, squeeze into buses, and show up for work with tired eyes and hopeful hearts. But behind the routine is a painful truth—many aren’t living, they’re just surviving. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) calls it a “lifeline,” not a living wage. And with every passing day, the call for something better grows louder.

1. Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, a member of the NLC’s Minimum Wage Committee, spoke with journalists during this year’s Workers’ Day. He didn’t sugarcoat the situation. According to him, “workers are not celebrating being employed. They’re just glad they’re still alive.”

He pointed to rising inflation, higher fuel and electricity costs, and new taxes that have eaten deep into workers’ earnings. In real terms, the much-celebrated wage increase feels like a cruel joke. “From N30,000 to N70,000 sounds good on paper,” he said. “But if someone earning N200,000 only gets an additional N40,000, that’s barely a 20% increase. And yet, living expenses have jumped by more than 70% in some areas.”

Across Nigeria, the story is the same. Despite the federal directive, several states haven’t implemented the new wage. And where it has been adopted, workers say it barely makes a dent in their daily struggles.

The growing frustration comes as Nigeria’s poverty rate worsens. “We now have 47% of our people living below the poverty line,” Ndubuaku warned. “That’s up from 38% in just one year. That’s nearly 100 million Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, government revenue is rising. Increased taxes, fuel prices, and tariffs on electricity and communication services are pumping more money into state coffers. But none of it seems to trickle down to workers.

“The hardship is everywhere,” Ndubuaku said. “The World Bank has already raised the alarm, but nothing is changing.”

In Abuja, federal workers even staged a strike recently after the FCT Administration failed to implement the new wage. But what hit a nerve wasn’t just the unpaid salaries—it was the political games happening alongside them.

Ndubuaku pointed out the irony: “The same FCT where workers haven’t been paid, the council chairman left his party for another one. He hasn’t paid his staff. So who does he think will vote for him? Or maybe he knows he doesn’t need votes—just ‘abracadabra’.”

This sense of political disconnect runs deep. Workers feel abandoned and unheard. “We need to go back to the drawing board,” Ndubuaku said. “We can’t pretend things are fine.”

He said the NLC plans to reopen negotiations for a “living wage”—one that allows Nigerian workers to live with dignity. That conversation, he noted, must include more than just salary figures. It must tackle the rising cost of living, from food and transport to education and healthcare.

In Ndubuaku’s words, “The struggle must continue.”

The anger is not just about wages. It’s also about how leaders treat ordinary citizens. “Our leaders don’t depend on us to get elected,” he said. “That’s the problem. They don’t need our votes. That’s why they don’t care.”

He said that until electoral reforms ensure every vote counts, politicians will continue to ignore the people’s pain. “If an elected official knows he must come back to the people for re-election, he will serve them better.”

Today, Nigerian workers feel trapped. Even though over half the population makes up the labor force, nearly all are affected by rising poverty. “How can 110 million workers live in a country where over 100 million people are poor?” Ndubuaku asked.

He added, “This country is heading for disaster if we don’t change direction.”

He urged the government to stop looking at figures and start listening to real people. “You tell us the economy is growing. But we’re dying of hunger,” he said.

Ndubuaku said workers expect more than promises—they want results. That includes cutting inflation, ending multiple tariffs, and creating real jobs that pay enough to live on.

“We are going back to the table. The N70,000 wage is not helping. And this N40,000 flat increase? That’s a no, no,” he said. “We will look at everything—tariffs, jobs, inflation. Because it’s not just about surviving. We want to live.”