In a bid to enforce the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage in Nigeria, the Nigeria Labour Congress has announced December 1 as the deadline for all the states to comply or face a strike. Nigerian workers face hardship, so the labour unions should mobilise against governors who are not compliant with the minimum wage law.
At N70,000 per month,the minimum wage is no longer a living wage.Since July when it became law, it has been a subject of intense debate and controversy among the 36 governors, as usual. Labour describes the defaulting states as “insensitive to the plight of workers.”
In the United Kingdom, the government sets the minimum wage by age on an annual basis. For those over 21 years and above, it is £11.44 (N24,093) per hour in April 2024 and £12.21 (N25,714) per hour in April 2025.
Three scenarios have emerged as of mid-November: 20 states who have elected to pay more than the N70,000, ranging from N71,000-N85,000; 12 states who have consented to pay the agreed N70,000; and four states who are still silent. Unfortunately, most states have foreclosed the possibility of paying arrears.
Most states claim they are awaiting the consequential adjustments before paying. Only Edo and Adamawa states have reportedly commenced payment so far. The Federal Government was supposed to commence the payment of the new minimum wage and its consequential adjustment to its workers in October, but not to all federal workers.
The NLC’s intervention is commendable.The governors have a penchant for not implementing the minimum wages in the past. Besides, they now have higher monthly allocationsafter the removal of petrol subsidies.One of the states has substantially paidthe debt it inheritedwhile also committing to paying the new wage. Consequently, there is no hiding place for any state.
However, there are some disturbing twists to the saga. Some states that are still struggling with the old N30,000 minimum wage, yet have promised the N70,000 benchmark. This could be empty promises to buy time.
A PUNCH report says 11 states did not implement the old minimum wage. The NLC must not allow these states to violate the 2024 Minimum Wage Act the way they didbefore.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers doubts that local governments will be able to implement the N70,000 minimum wage. According to the union, some states did not implement even the N18,000 minimum wage approved in 2011.
The PUNCH reported in October that 12 states have yet to implement the 2019 minimum wage of N30,000 for teachers. The newspaper said nine states did not implement the 2019 minimum wage in full for primary school teachers.
The governors have no reason not to pay. They can afford to pay if they cut wastages, block loopholes, imbibe fiscal discipline and creatively grow their IGR. There is a compelling need for these innovative measures as the next review of the minimum wage is due in three years.
While some of his contemporaries are wasting state funds on frivolities, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, said in November that he had paid N90 billion to service the debt of N191.2 billion he inherited from his predecessor. Yet, he has committed to pay the N70,000 benchmark. This is sterling.
The NLC should bring the private sector, a significant portion of its membershipwith more workers than the public sector, into the minimum wage intervention net. No worker should be left behind as all Nigerian workers deserve a dignified life.
The strength of NLC’s December 1 deadline lies in its capacity to stand by its word and pressure the governors to implement the minimum wage. It is a duty to the workers they represent,the Minimum Wage Act 2024, the economy, and the people.
