N70,000 minimum wage due for reassessment — FG

The Federal Government has indicated plans to review the N70,000 national minimum wage, acknowledging that the current benchmark may no longer adequately reflect prevailing economic realities.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday at the Good Governance Summit 2026 organised by Working People United (WoPU) in Abuja.

Gbajabiamila noted that while the N70,000 minimum wage signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024 represented a significant improvement from the previous N30,000 wage, rising living costs have made a reassessment necessary.

He recalled that the administration reduced the wage review cycle from five years to three years to ensure workers’ earnings keep pace with changing economic conditions.

“The N70,000 wage, which was a milestone in 2024, must be honestly reassessed against today’s realities. When the time comes to begin the process of reviewing the national minimum wage, this administration will approach that endeavour not as an adversary of labour, but as a partner,” he said.

The Chief of Staff also called on organised labour to maintain constructive engagement with the government, stressing that dialogue and cooperation remain essential to achieving sustainable improvements in workers’ welfare.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the success of government policies should be measured by their impact on the lives of workers and citizens.

According to him, governance goes beyond policy formulation and must result in improved livelihoods, decent jobs, social protection, increased productivity, and broader economic opportunities.

“Governance is not merely about policies written in documents or programmes announced from government offices. The true measure of governance is the extent to which policies translate into improved livelihoods, decent work, increased productivity, social protection, economic opportunities, and dignity for working people,” Dingyadi said.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of Working People United, Williams Akporeha, described workers as the driving force behind economic growth and national development.

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

Akporeha said the summit provided a platform for workers from various sectors to engage on issues affecting their welfare and contribute to discussions on national development.