Organized labour has warned states to implement the new national minimum wage by the end of January. If they fail, the NLC will take legal and industrial action.

The Federal Government set January as the deadline for states to start paying the N70,000 minimum wage. Many states have committed, but few have made payments since the July approval. Workers expected payments to begin in December but now anticipate them to start in January.

An NLC official confirmed that the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting will decide on actions against non-compliant states. The official stated, If by the end of January these states have not implemented the minimum wage, we will act.

Zamfara, Imo, Akwa Ibom, and Katsina have not yet paid the new wage. NLC President Joe Ajaero demanded compliance in his New Year message, urging all governments to adhere to the wage this year.

NLC spokesperson Ben Upah warned that states refusing to implement the wage would face trouble. The states are richer now, and they cannot claim they can’t afford it, he said.

Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Festus Osifo also threatened strikes. Osifo pointed out that while some states are making progress, others, like Zamfara and Cross River, have not. Workers in Cross River are on a two-day warning strike, which could escalate.

Osifo emphasized the importance of implementing the necessary adjustments for workers to benefit from the new wage.