The Federal Government has hinted at an early review of Nigeria’s N70,000 national minimum wage, admitting that the current rate is already struggling to match today’s economic pressures.
The statement came less than two years after President Bola Tinubu signed the new wage into law. In July 2024, the wage was raised from N30,000 to N70,000 — more than doubling workers’ base pay.
To make future adjustments faster, the administration also shortened the review cycle from five years to three years.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the disclosure on Thursday at the Good Governance Summit 2026 in Abuja.
The summit was organized by Working People United, WoPU, and focused on labour, productivity, and governance.
Gbajabiamila said the administration recognizes that inflation and living costs keep climbing, and workers’ pay must keep up.
“This administration delivered a new national minimum wage. In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed N70,000 into law — more than double the N30,000 workers had managed on for years. Knowing that the cost of living never stands still, the President also cut the review cycle from five years to three, so wages can track economic reality more closely,” he said.
He added that while N70,000 was a milestone in 2024, it now needs an honest reassessment. “When the time comes to begin the review process, this administration will approach it not as an adversary of labour, but as a partner,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The Chief of Staff urged organized labour to keep dialogue open with government. He argued that cooperation, not confrontation, would produce better results for workers and the wider economy.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, echoed that point. He said the real test of governance is how policies affect workers’ daily lives.
“Governance isn’t just policies written in documents or programs announced from offices. The true measure is whether those policies translate into better livelihoods, decent work, higher productivity, social protection, economic opportunities, and dignity for working people,” Dingyadi said.
Also speaking, WoPU National Coordinator, Comrade Williams Eniredonana Akporeha described workers as the engine of Nigeria’s economy.
“There is no economy without working people. There is no productivity without working people. And there is no national development without them,” he said.
Akporeha called the summit a rare convergence of workers across sectors, all pushing one goal: stronger national growth and improved welfare for Nigerians.
