Atiku backs call for higher minimum wage
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has backed organised labour’s call for an increase in Nigeria’s minimum wage, saying the current ₦70,000 wage floor no longer reflects the rising cost of living.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the call in a statement issued on Sunday in response to the Nigeria Labour Congress’ demand for improved wages.
He said rising costs of petrol, transportation, food, rent and energy had reduced the purchasing power of workers despite the increase in the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
According to Atiku, a worker earning ₦70,000 can buy about 50 litres of petrol at a pump price of ₦1,400 per litre.
He argued that the current wage was therefore insufficient to meet workers’ basic needs.
“The Nigerian worker is the engine of this country’s productive life, yet Tinubu expects that engine to run without fuel,” Atiku said.
He also said the impact of higher petrol prices extended beyond transportation, affecting food production, manufacturing and other household expenses.
“Petrol does not stay at the pump. Its price follows the farmer to market, enters the baker’s oven and appears in the fare a parent pays to take a child to school,” he said.
Atiku urged President Bola Tinubu to approve a substantial increase in the minimum wage and respond to labour’s concerns over workers’ purchasing power.
His comments come amid renewed calls by organised labour for a review of the national minimum wage as the cost of living continues to rise. The NLC and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council have separately demanded a new minimum wage of ₦500,000.
The Federal Government has commenced consultations ahead of fresh negotiations on the national minimum wage, although it has not announced a new wage figure.
