Keyamo: N70,000 Minimum Wage No Longer Enough for Nigerian Workers
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo says rising living costs have eroded the purchasing power of the N70,000 wage, urging greater attention to workers’ welfare and earnings.
ABUJA — Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has said Nigeria’s N70,000 national minimum wage is no longer sufficient to cushion workers against the country’s rising economic pressures.
Keyamo made the statement at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit, organised by XEM Consultants Limited, where he called for greater attention to workers’ welfare and improved wages.
The minister said rising living costs had eroded the purchasing power of the minimum wage, making an upward review increasingly necessary. He urged the Federal Government to reach a compromise with organised labour during ongoing discussions on workers’ wages.
The current N70,000 minimum wage was approved in July 2024, replacing the previous N30,000 benchmark, with the government and labour agreeing that it would be reviewed after three years.
Keyamo noted that labour unions are now demanding significantly higher wages, with some demands reaching N500,000, as workers struggle with the rising cost of living.
He also criticised the treatment of workers in some government institutions, particularly situations where employees allegedly struggle to receive basic allowances while substantial funds are approved for international trips by senior officials.
According to the minister, workers remain central to national productivity and public service delivery.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero, called on the Federal Government to use additional revenue from higher oil prices to provide relief for workers and other Nigerians facing increased food and transportation costs.
Ajaero argued that wage negotiations should focus not only on the nominal amount paid to workers but also on their actual purchasing power. He also advocated linking wages and pensions to inflation or a cost-of-living index.
The NLC president said discussions on the next minimum wage review should begin early, noting that the current three-year review cycle is expected to bring the next review around March or April.
