Nigerian workers have confirmed that they have received the Federal Government’s new minimum wage.
Statements from Nigeria Labour Congress spokesperson Benson Upah and Trade Union Congress Deputy President Tommy Etim were released separately on Thursday.
According to reports, Federal Government had started disbursing the new minimum wage of N70,000.
Upah urged other organizations to follow the Federal Government’s lead, stating, “Yes, I think so. We ask other entities to emulate this example.”
Similarly, Etim emphasized that the FG’s committee on consequential adjustments had issued a guideline, leaving no justification for delaying the minimum wage payments. He encouraged all parties to begin implementing the new minimum wage.
A civil servant from the Head of Civil Service office, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed receiving the new minimum wage payment for September 2024, stating, “I got an alert around 2 pm on Thursday. I am hoping the arrears will come too.” Other federal workers reported receiving an additional N40,000 as a consequential adjustment to their salaries.
This change affects over 1.2 million federal workers who have begun receiving the new minimum wage. On Tuesday, Ekpo Nta, Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, confirmed the government’s approval of an upward revision of the consolidated public service salary structure in accordance with the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024.
This decision followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the N70,000 minimum wage on July 18, 2024, which was later passed into law by the Senate. The new wage marks a 100 percent increase from the previous N30,000 under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
This wage increase comes at a time when prices for goods and services have surged, with Headline and Food Inflation reaching 32.15 and 37.52 percent, respectively, in August 2024.
