Nigerian workers are demanding a sharp increase in pay, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) calling for a new national minimum wage of ₦500,000.
The unions said the current ₦70,000 benchmark agreed with the Federal Government lapsed in July and can no longer address the realities of rising food, transport and housing costs.
Speaking on Thursday at the Nigeria Rights of Workers Summit in Birnin Kebbi, the NLC Deputy President and President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Audu Titus Amba, who represented NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, called for a fresh round of negotiations with the Federal Government.
“We want to begin another round of negotiations with the federal government to request at least ₦500,000 as the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers,” Amba said.
He added that anything below that figure “would be grossly inadequate” given the current economic hardship.
According to him, labour is seeking dialogue, not conflict, to align wages with the rising cost of living.
Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi, who opened the summit attended by about 1,000 delegates, noted that Kebbi was the first state to implement a ₦75,000 minimum wage for its workers.
The summit focused on workers’ welfare and strategies to strengthen the labour movement amid inflation.
