Nigeria’s former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately increase the N70,000 national minimum wage.
He argued that escalating costs of fuel, food, transportation and housing have significantly weakened workers’ purchasing power.
Atiku made the call in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Phrank Shaibu.
He said the statutory wage increase had failed to provide sufficient relief for Nigerian workers as the prices of essential goods and services continued to rise.
Recall that the Federal Government increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 in July 2024 following negotiations with organised labour. Tinubu had also indicated that the wage would be reviewed after three years.
But Atiku said the increase had not translated into improved living conditions for workers because of the sharp rise in the cost of living.
“At N1,400 a litre, the entire N70,000 monthly minimum wage buys just 50 litres of petrol. What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?” the statement said in part.
He compared the purchasing power of the current minimum wage with that of the previous N30,000 wage, noting that the April 2023 national average petrol price of N254.06 per litre meant that N30,000 could buy about 118 litres of petrol.
By comparison, he said, N70,000 at a petrol price of N1,400 per litre would purchase only about 50 litres.
“The payslip has grown, but the fuel it can buy has more than halved. Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life. That is hardship dressed up as a wage increase,” he added.
Atiku’s position comes amid continued concerns over petrol prices and their wider impact on the cost of living.
Recent reports cited in the statement put petrol prices at around N1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja, with prices reportedly higher in some parts of northern Nigeria.
The ADC presidential hopeful also criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying the policy was implemented without sufficient measures to cushion its impact on working families.
“The government pulled away the floor, offered workers a flimsy umbrella and now applauds itself while the rain beats down on them,” Atiku said.
He said the effect of rising petrol prices goes beyond transportation, noting that higher energy and logistics costs ultimately affect food prices and other household expenses.
“Petrol does not stay at the pump. Its price follows the farmer to market, enters the baker’s oven and appears in the fare a parent pays to take a child to school,” he stressed.
Atiku further compared Nigeria’s minimum wage with those of some other African oil-producing countries, using exchange rates cited in his statement.
While acknowledging that wage systems and living costs vary across countries, he maintained that the differences did not justify the current wage level in Nigeria amid prevailing economic pressures.
He called on Tinubu to clearly state whether his administration would consider another wage increase, arguing that workers should not be left waiting through prolonged negotiations without a definite outcome.
“If he has no intention of raising workers’ pay, he should say so plainly and stop stringing the Nigeria Labour Congress and other labour leaders along. Nigerian workers deserve an answer, not another round of meetings that ends where it began,” he added.
Atiku also pledged that if elected in 2027, his administration would commence efforts to raise the minimum wage from its first day in office.
“I will begin the work of raising the wage floor from my first day in office,” Atiku assured.
He said his proposed economic measures would include support for domestic production, targeted social protection and interventions in the petroleum sector as part of efforts to reduce pressure on households.
According to him, his proposed targeted production subsidy would support petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians, subject to spending limits, public accounting and independent auditing.
“Government support must produce measurable relief at the pump,” he said.
Atiku also called for measures to stabilise the prices of essential goods and energy, arguing that wage increases alone would not sufficiently address the economic difficulties confronting households if the cost of living remained high.
The Tinubu administration has previously defended the N70,000 minimum wage, noting that it was reached after consultations with organised labour and other stakeholders.
The Presidency had described the new wage as an immediate relief measure while indicating that it would be reviewed after three years.
Atiku, however, maintained that the purchasing power of workers should remain the key consideration in assessing the adequacy of the wage.
“Nigerians do not eat FAAC figures. A full treasury is no answer to an empty kitchen. The test of this government is whether the men and women who work all month can live on what they earn.
“A living wage must buy a living. It is not a privilege; it is a basic right.
“Tinubu has made life painfully expensive. I will make life affordable again,” he added.
