The Nigerian government has declared that the country’s minimum wage will now be reviewed on a two-year interval instead of the previous five years. The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, during a statement in Abia State on Thursday.
Onyejeocha highlighted that the decision is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reviewing the minimum wage every three years, a promise made to Nigerian workers. “We are not going to allow minimum wage review to be forever. It used to be about five years, but now, in three years’ time, which is less than two years, we will also review the minimum wage,” she stated.
This move comes amid growing calls from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for an annual review of the minimum wage to keep up with rising inflation and economic challenges. The TUC had recently urged the government to consider yearly adjustments due to the persistent inflationary pressures on workers’ earnings.
In 2024, President Tinubu approved a N70,000 minimum wage and committed to reviewing it every three years. However, with Nigeria’s inflation rate hitting 34.60 percent in November 2024, the impact on the real value of the minimum wage has become a point of concern for workers across the country.