Federal Government Sets to Review #70,000 Minimum Wage — Femi Gbajabiamila
The Federal Government has indicated plans to review the N70,000 national minimum wage, acknowledging that the current wage benchmark may no longer reflect prevailing economic realities amid rising living costs across the country.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday at the Good Governance Summit 2026, organised by Working People United (WoPU) in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains committed to ensuring that workers’ earnings keep pace with changing economic conditions and inflationary pressures.
Recall that President Tinubu signed the new minimum wage law in July 2024, increasing workers’ pay from N30,000 to N70,000. The legislation also reduced the wage review cycle from five years to three years to allow for more frequent adjustments in response to economic realities.
Speaking at the summit, Gbajabiamila noted that while the N70,000 minimum wage represented a significant milestone when it was introduced, current economic conditions necessitate a reassessment.
“This administration delivered a new national minimum wage. In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed into law a minimum wage of N70,000, more than double the N30,000 workers had endured for years.
“Recognising that the cost of living does not stand still, the President also reduced the statutory review cycle from five years to three years so that wages can keep closer pace with economic realities.
“The N70,000 wage, which was a milestone in 2024, must be honestly reassessed against today’s realities. I can confirm that when the time comes to begin the process of reviewing the national minimum wage, this administration will approach the exercise not as an adversary of labour, but as a partner,” he said.
Gbajabiamila also urged organised labour to sustain engagement with the government, stressing that dialogue and cooperation would yield better outcomes for workers and the broader economy than confrontation.
Also speaking, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the true test of governance lies in the extent to which public policies improve the lives of citizens.
According to him, government programmes must translate into better living standards, decent jobs, social protection, increased productivity and expanded economic opportunities for workers.
“Governance is not merely about policies written in documents or programmes announced from government offices. The true measure of governance is the extent to which policies translate into improved livelihoods, decent work, increased productivity, social protection, economic opportunities and dignity for working people,” Dingyadi said.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of WoPU, Williams Akporeha, described workers as the backbone of the nation’s economy and development efforts.
“There is no economy without the working people, there is no productivity without the working people, and there is no national development without the working people,” he said.
Akporeha noted that the summit brought together workers from various sectors under a shared commitment to advancing national development and improving the welfare of Nigerians.
The planned wage review is expected to rekindle discussions between the government, labour unions and other stakeholders on measures to cushion the impact of inflation and rising living costs on Nigerian workers.