Minimum Wage Review Inevitable as ₦70,000 No Longer Reflects Economic Reality – Gbajabiamila

Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the Federal Government will review the national minimum wage when necessary to align with prevailing economic realities, acknowledging that the current ₦70,000 benchmark may no longer adequately meet workers’ needs.

Speaking at the 2026 Good Governance Summit organised by Working People United (WoPU) in Abuja, Gbajabiamila said the government recognises that rising living costs have reduced the effectiveness of the wage increase introduced in 2024.

He noted that although the ₦70,000 minimum wage represented a significant milestone when it was approved, current economic conditions require an honest reassessment.

“The ₦70,000 wage was a milestone in 2024, but today’s realities demand that we evaluate its sustainability and adequacy. When the time comes, this administration will approach that process not as an adversary of labour, but as a partner,” he said.

Gbajabiamila highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration increased the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 in July 2024 to ease pressure on workers and respond to the rising cost of living.

He added that the administration also shortened the statutory wage review cycle from five years to three years to ensure salaries can respond more quickly to economic changes.

According to him, despite difficult economic conditions and governance challenges over the past three years, the government remains committed to policies aimed at improving workers’ welfare.

Also speaking at the summit, Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammad Dingyadi, stressed that governance should be measured by how effectively policies improve citizens’ lives rather than by policy announcements alone.

“Governance is not merely about policies written in documents or programmes announced from government offices. Its true measure is whether those policies improve livelihoods, increase productivity, strengthen social protection, expand economic opportunities and preserve the dignity of workers,” Dingyadi said.

In his remarks, WoPU National Coordinator, Williams Akporeha, emphasised the central role of workers in national development.

“There is no economy without workers, no productivity without workers and no national development without the contribution of working people,” he said.