Minimum Wage Crisis: Despite the new N70,000 minimum wage law signed by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024, local government workers and public primary school teachers in at least 20 states across Nigeria are yet to receive the new salary.
According to the National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Haruna Kankara, affected states include Zamfara, Gombe, Yobe, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Borno, Cross River, and even the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others.
Kankara revealed that while some states have begun paying their civil servants the new wage, many are excluding local government workers and teachers. He added that the union has been pleading with state governments to ensure no worker is left behind.
In some cases, the previous minimum wage of N30,000 approved in 2019 has also not been fully implemented. Teachers in states like Taraba, Benue, Abia, Adamawa, and Niger are reportedly still earning below that level.
While states such as Lagos, Rivers, Kwara, and Enugu have started paying the N70,000 minimum wage to all categories of workers, concerns remain over high taxation, which many workers say reduces the real benefit of the new salary.
In Kwara, for example, workers received only a three-month tax break from the government, which ended in December 2024. Since January, full taxes have resumed, shrinking their take-home pay.
Meanwhile, teachers in the FCT continue to protest poor treatment. They have embarked on four strikes in four months, demanding fair pay and full implementation of the new minimum wage. Some teachers say they feel forgotten, calling on the federal government to urgently intervene.
A teacher in Yobe who wished to remain anonymous said, “We didn’t even receive the N30,000 minimum wage. How can we expect to enjoy N70,000?”
The delay and exclusion of certain categories of workers from the new wage law continues to spark anger and frustration across the country, with growing calls for equal treatment and prompt action.
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