- The national minimum wage has been the bone of contention between the federal government and labour unions for a while now
- The NLC has demanded that the federal government increase it to N400,000, while the federal government does not want to go above N60,000
- Nigerians have come out to express their minds on how much they want the minimum wage to be
The minimum wage in Nigeria has been a subject of intense debate for a while now. The economic challenges in the country compelled the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to demand a change in the minimum wage which has been N30,000 for the past five years now, despite the constant rise in the cost of living.
The NLC demanded that the federal government increase the minimum wage to N400,000 but the federal government proposed N60,000.
On Monday, June 3, the NLC embarked on a nationwide strike to protest and demand a living wage from the government.
Following a meeting with the federal government, the NLC called off the strike after the former agreed to increase the minimum wage above N60,000.
Although the federal government has not declared the new minimum wage, Some Nigerians hope it will be commensurate with the current cost of living.
TheRadar spoke with some Nigerians on how much they think the minimum wage should be.
Ayomide Ogundeji, a Public Health Nutritionist, suggested that the minimum wage be pegged at N100,000 and subsidies should be put in place as well.
According to him, “In order to manage food and service inflation, I think N100,000 is appropriate. The government can later work on subsidies to address the other main problems.
For Edith-Mario Aigbavboa, a sales manager, “the minimum wage should be around N250,000. She said: I think the minimum wage should be N250,000. The prices of basic commodities, food and services are through the roof right now and N30,000 is nowhere near enough for the common man. And considering the fact that politicians get paid way more, Nigerians should also be comfortable.”
Another Nigerian, who simply wanted to be identified as Abdulrahman, said the minimum wage should be N1 million to match the country’s economic reality. In his words, “I believe I deserve what federal lawmakers get. After all, they are not more educated than I am.”
Speaking with TheRadar, Christianah Akinwande, a stylist, suggested that the minimum wage be N200,000 because of the high cost of food and other commodities. “N200,000 should be okay for the minimum wage because things are too expensive. One kongo of beans is sold for N4,000. If they think N200,000 is unreasonable, they should continue paying N30,000 but make food and other commodities very cheap,” she said.
According to Kirmadei Oladimeji, the minimum wage should be “the exact amount of how the prices of things have doubled. Everything has tripled in price, so the minimum wage should follow suit. N60,000 that was proposed by the government is actually ridiculous. The minimum wage should not be less than at least N100,000.”
Also speaking with TheRadar, Fatima (surname withheld), suggested that the minimum wage be set at “N200,000 so that Nigerian workers can afford food and other commodities that are currently too expensive.”
It is the hope of many Nigerians that the federal government will increase the minimum wage to a reasonable amount.