• The N77,000 minimum wage is rapidly losing its value as many workers still struggle to cover rent, transport, food, and internet costs despite earning the legal minimum
• The NLC has labelled the current minimum wage a "poverty wage" and is pushing for a higher figure
• The renewed wage debate could shape Nigeria's labour and economic conversations in the coming months

The number on your payslip hasn't changed, but everything else has. The same N77,000 that looked like progress in 2024 now disappears into rent, transport, food, and data before the month is halfway gone.

It's why more Nigerian workers are asking the same question: if a full month's salary can no longer cover basic living costs, can it still be called a minimum wage?

That frustration is now at the centre of a fresh labour battle. With the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) describing the current minimum wage as a "poverty wage" and pushing for a new benchmark, the debate is no longer just about salaries. It's about whether workers can realistically survive in an economy where prices keep rising faster than pay.

Here's why the N77,000 minimum wage is back in the spotlight.

Why the minimum wage isn't enough

1. Inflation has been eating your salary alive

The N77,000 minimum wage was signed into law in July 2024. Back then, it actually felt like something.

Fast forward to now, food inflation has allegedly stayed above 30 per cent for a long stretch. This means that the naira in your hand still says N77,000, but what it can buy has been quietly shrinking every single month.

It's like filling a bucket that has a hole in it. You keep pouring, but somehow it's never full by month-end.

2. In dollars, your salary is an embarrassment

When N77k was agreed, it was worth roughly $50. Today, it's around $42.

That means without your salary changing by a single kobo, you got poorer just because of the exchange rate wahala. You didn't do anything wrong, the naira did it to you.

3. Rent, transport & data never got the "minimum wage" memo

Nobody sent a memo to landlords, bus conductors, or your data plan telling them to freeze prices at 2024 levels. Rent has gone up, transport fares have gone up, and even the price of garri has gone past what it used to be.

So while your salary is stuck in 2024, your expenses are living in 2026 problems. That gap is the whole crisis in one sentence.

4. Even the government isn't fully paying it

Nearly two years after N77,000 became law, close to 20 states are reportedly still not paying it in full, especially for local government workers and primary school teachers.

So it's not just that N77k is small, some workers aren't even getting the small one as promised.

5. NLC are naming a new number

This is the headline everybody's been waiting for: labour is reportedly pushing for a new minimum wage of N154,000, that's double the current amount.

Negotiations for a fresh wage structure were expected to kick off around July 2026, with NLC leadership reportedly saying labour won't be coming to the table "from a position of weakness."

Whether the government agrees or another showdown is brewing depends on what happens at the table. Either way, one thing is clear, the N77,000 conversation isn't closing anytime soon.

N77,000 wasn't a bad deal in 2024. But 2026 economics doesn't care about 2024 promises. Until wages actually move with the cost of living, "minimum wage" in Nigeria will keep meaning minimum survival.

Lagos NLC demands N225,000 minimum wage as inflation squeezes workers

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Nigeria Labour Congress Lagos State Council asked the Lagos State Government to raise the minimum wage for workers from N85,000 to N225,000, warning that the current pay can no longer match the realities of living in the state.

According to the union, the current wage structure no longer offers enough protection for workers battling rising living costs in Lagos.

Labour leaders said salaries have lost much of their value since the last adjustment, leaving many full-time workers struggling to meet essential needs such as food, housing, transport, healthcare and education.