The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared an indefinite statewide strike that will begin on Monday, June 3, 2024, in protest to the Federal Government’s refusal to increase the suggested minimum pay above N60,000. The labor unions submitted a new proposal of N494,000 because they considered the government’s final offer of N60,000—which had increased from an earlier offer of N57,000—to be insufficient.
In Nigeria, the idea of a minimum wage originated in the 1950s. 1954 saw the first minimum pay policy put in place by Western Region Premier late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The minimum pay paid to Western Nigerian employees doubled that paid in other areas. This first pay policy established a standard and spurred continuous debates on equitable wages throughout the nation.
After Nigeria gained its freedom in 1960, the national minimum wage movement persisted. Awolowo, then Action Group President, ran fervent campaigns in 1959 for a five-pound minimum pay for government employees. Though he lost the 1959 elections to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the question of a national minimum wage remained a major political priority.
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Driven by the campaigning of the Nigerian Labour Congress under Hassan Sunmonu, President Shehu Shagari passed the first National Minimum Wage Law in September 1981. The legislation established a minimum pay of 125 naira a month, which at the time equated to about US$204.
The minimum pay has changed multiple times throughout years:
2000: rose to N5,500.
2011: Under President Goodluck Jonathan it came to N18,000.
2019: President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Minimum Wage Act creating a monthly pay of N30,000.
The federal government established a tripartite committee with 37 members to examine the National Minimum Wage in January 2024. Still, the group has not decided upon anything. The government has a deadline of May 31 set by the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for the new pay policy establishment. At least N60,000 is the minimum pay the unions demand.
New minimum salaries have been unilaterally announced by several states For instance, Lagos State has been paying a pay award of N35,000 since January 2024 whereas Edo State approved a new salary of N70,000 starting May 1, 2024.
