Seventeen state governors have established committees to implement the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage across Nigeria. The states, including Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, and others, are moving forward after the Federal Government commenced payments to its 1.2 million workers last week. Meanwhile, Edo, Lagos, and Adamawa states have already begun disbursing the new salary, with Anambra set to follow in October.
Adamawa’s Governor Ahmadu Fintiri notably initiated payments in August, ahead of other states and the Federal Government, as confirmed by the state’s Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman, Emmanuel Fashe. In contrast, some states, such as Bayelsa and Delta, are still in the process of addressing the implementation of the wage.
While various state governments have expressed readiness or are awaiting committee reports to begin the new wage payments, a senior NLC official expressed dissatisfaction, labeling the wage as a “starvation wage” due to rising inflation and the devaluation of the naira. They called for greater urgency and criticized any delays in implementation.
Governors from states such as Enugu, Taraba, and Kogi have also initiated committees to ensure smooth implementation, while workers in states like Benue and Kaduna await clear directives on when the wage will take effect.
