The Nigerian government has raised serious concerns regarding the demand by labour unions to raise the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N494,000.
This proposed increase, according to the government, would escalate the federal workers’ annual wage bill to approximately N9.5 trillion, potentially destabilizing the economy and jeopardizing the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, addressed journalists in Abuja on Saturday, responding to the organized labour’s threat to strike if their demands are not met.
Idris emphasized that the federal government’s offer of a N60,000 minimum wage, representing a 100% increase from the 2019 minimum wage, has already been accepted by the organized private sector, a member of the tripartite negotiation committee.
“The Federal Government’s New Minimum Wage proposal amounts to a 100% increase on the existing minimum wage of 2019. Labour, however, wanted N494,000, which would increase by 1,547% on the existing wage,” Idris said.
“The sum of N494,000 national minimum wage which Labour is seeking would cumulatively amount to a N9.5 trillion bill to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Idris underscored the government’s commitment to ensuring fair remuneration for Nigerian workers while also highlighting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s focus on preventing significant job losses, especially in the private sector, which may struggle to meet the unions’ wage demands.
“The federal government is concerned with the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians based on its guiding principles of affordability, sustainability, and the overall health of the nation’s economy,” Idris added.
The minister urged the organized labour to return to the negotiating table and consider reasonable and feasible wage proposals for their members.
He reiterated the Tinubu administration’s dedication to workers’ welfare, confirming that the current wage award of N35,000 for federal workers will remain in place until a new national minimum wage is determined.
