The federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has introduced a ₦35,000 wage award to complement the ₦30,000 minimum wage in Nigeria, aiming to ease economic pressures on workers. Despite President Tinubu’s call for state governors to adopt this measure, several states have yet to comply.
According to Legit, 15 states have not started paying the wage award, and 7 states have ceased payments after initially beginning. This initiative was intended as interim relief until the full implementation of the new minimum wage.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized governors for their failure to implement the wage award, condemning it as insensitive to workers’ needs. States such as Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Abia, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Bauchi, Niger, Nasarawa, and Plateau have faced delays or partial payments, citing reasons such as awaiting outcomes from the tripartite committee on the new minimum wage.
Governors like Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Oborevwori Sheriff (Delta), Otti (Abia), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Umaru Radda (Katsina), Bala Muhammad (Bauchi), Muhammed Bago (Niger), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) have all been noted for their varying responses to the federal government’s initiative, affecting workers’ livelihoods amid ongoing economic challenges.