Organised labour in Nigeria is intensifying pressure for another national minimum wage review despite complaints that several state governments are yet to fully implement the existing ₦70,000 wage approved in 2024.
The push has heightened tensions between labour unions and state governments, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) accusing some governors of selective implementation of the wage law.
President Bola Tinubu signed the ₦70,000 national minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, raising the benchmark from ₦30,000.
However, labour leaders say implementation remains uneven nearly two years later, particularly affecting local government workers, primary school teachers and primary healthcare workers across several states.
States repeatedly mentioned in labour complaints include Yobe State, Zamfara State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Imo State, Ebonyi State, Cross River State, Borno State, Sokoto State, Taraba State, Bauchi State, Nasarawa State, Adamawa State, Abia State, Benue State, Niger State, Kogi State and the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils.
The unions alleged that while some governors publicly announced compliance, many workers still receive old salaries while consequential adjustments and arrears remain unresolved.
Ahead of the 2026 International Workers’ Day celebration, the NLC directed its state councils in defaulting states to abandon ceremonial May Day events and instead stage street protests.
In a circular signed by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Congress declared that May Day celebrations should hold on the streets in states where the National Minimum Wage Act had not been fully implemented.
The union also warned against holding Workers’ Day celebrations inside Government Houses or alongside defaulting state governments.
NULGE President Haruna Kankara disclosed during the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja that about 20 states were yet to fully implement the ₦70,000 minimum wage for local government workers and primary school teachers.
According to him, some governors implemented the wage increase only for state civil servants while excluding grassroots workers.
The NUT also warned that teachers in several states were yet to fully benefit from the wage increase, with delays reported in states including Abia, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Yobe, Zamfara and Enugu.
In the FCT, Area Council teachers have continued industrial action over non-implementation of the wage, while local government workers in Borno staged protests over alleged selective payment.
Workers in Zamfara and Cross River have also threatened strike action over delayed implementation.
Despite the implementation disputes, organised labour is pushing for another wage review, arguing that inflation has already eroded the value of the ₦70,000 salary structure.
NLC President Joe Ajaero said in his 2026 New Year message that the Congress would pursue an urgent wage review because rising living costs had weakened workers’ purchasing power.
Labour leaders cited soaring food prices, transportation costs, electricity tariffs, rent and naira depreciation as factors wiping out the gains of the wage increase.
The NLC and the Trade Union Congress have also announced plans to reopen negotiations for a fresh national wage structure by July 2026.
The agitation has expanded beyond calls for review to demands for significantly higher wage figures.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council recently demanded a new national minimum wage of ₦154,000, while the Lagos State chapter of the NLC called for an increase from ₦85,000 to ₦225,000 for workers in Lagos.
Lagos NLC Chairperson Funmi Sessi argued that inflation and the rising cost of living had made existing wages unsustainable.
Organised labour is also advocating an inflation-linked wage system that would automatically adjust salaries in line with economic realities.
Meanwhile, several state governments argue that shrinking revenues, rising wage bills, debt burdens, subsidy removal pressures and weak local government finances are complicating implementation of the current wage law.
However, the NLC’s immediate past Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, insisted that economic hardship could not justify failure to comply with the law.
