After almost a year a consensus has been reached by the Nigeria Federal Government and representatives of Organised Labour, the new national minimum wage of N70,000 is yet to be implemented for workers on the payroll of the Federal Government, Citizen Rapporteur can authoritatively report.
The common ground on N70,000 was reached after a series of disagreements, bickerings and word wars between the government and labour union leaders, sometimes culminating in open confrontation in form of strikes, protests, among others.
On July 18, 2024, the Federal Government finally announced a minimum wage of N70,000 after the last batch of interface with labour leaders after they have, on many occasions, shifted grounds on their earlier demands of N709,000, N615,000 and lastly N250,000 respectively.
Consequently, the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act was signed into law on July 29, 2024 to give the agreement legal effect and binding authority. The Act which repealed and replaced the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 was to be reviewed every three years, as against the five-year review period obtainable under the 2019 Act.
Also, the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024 was to operate retroactively as all salaries and arrears accruing from May 1st 2024 would be defrayed using the new wage template.
However, in a shocking disregard for collective agreements and contempt for legal instruments, the Federal Government has not, as of the time scribbling this, implemented the new wage. In fact, it took ceiling-breaking criticisms and public outcry before the government can implement the new wage for corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Meanwhile, some states of the federation have begun implementation of the new minimum wage and have been paying it to their workers, with some even paying above the N70,000 threshold. Such states are:
States Paying Exactly ₦70,000
- Adamawa State: Implemented ₦70,000 in August 2024
- Anambra State: ₦70,000 minimum wage started in October 2024
- Katsina State: Adopted ₦70,000 wage
- Ebonyi State: Implemented ₦70,000 in September 2024
- Abia State: Commenced ₦70,000 wage from October 2024
- Kwara State: ₦70,000 implemented from October 2024
- Jigawa State: ₦70,000 wage approved in October 2024
- Edo State: Began ₦70,000 payments in May 2024
- Borno State: ₦70,000 implemented in October 2024
- Ekiti State: ₦70,000 effective from December 1, 2024
- Taraba State: Implemented ₦70,000
- Plateau State: Implemented ₦70,000 on November 14, 2024
States Paying Above ₦70,000
- Lagos State: ₦85,000 approved in October 2024, with plans to increase to ₦100,000 by January 2025
- Rivers State: ₦85,000 approved effective November 2024
- Bayelsa State: ₦80,000 implemented from November 1, 2024
- Niger State: ₦80,000 minimum wage effective November 2024
- Enugu State: ₦80,000 minimum wage announced in October 2024
- Akwa Ibom State: ₦80,000 approved on October 23, 2024
- Oyo State: ₦80,000 wage approved for implementation
- Ogun State: ₦77,000 approved in October 2024
- Kebbi State: ₦75,000 approved with payments starting immediately
- Osun State: ₦75,000 minimum wage approved on November 22, 2024
- Benue State: ₦75,000 approved effective November 2024
- Ondo State: ₦73,000 approved in 2024 with implementation in 2025
- Kogi State: ₦72,500 implemented, with tax suspended for one year
- Kaduna State: ₦72,000 minimum wage approved for November 2024
- Gombe State: ₦71,451.15 agreed upon in October 2024
- Kano State: ₦71,000 approved to support workers’ welfare
All eyes are therefore on the Federal Government to make good its promises for workers across all strata of the federal cadre, especially now that President Bola Tinubu has entered his third year in office.
