Full List: 20 States Begin New ₦70,000 Minimum Wage Payments To Workers

At least 20 Nigerian states have begun paying the newly approved minimum wage or plan to start this month, Naija News gathered.

Following lengthy discussions among government, private sector representatives, and labour unions, the minimum wage was raised from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, effective from a bill signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 29, after the National Assembly passed it on July 18.

A Federal Government committee led by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Esther Walson-Jack, outlined payment adjustments last month, and the Federal Government has since implemented the new wage.

Many states have also engaged in their own negotiations with labour leaders and, in some cases, set higher wages than the federal rate.

For instance, Lagos and Rivers lead with ₦85,000, while Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom states have set a minimum wage of ₦80,000.

Increased state revenue allocations due to the removal of the petrol subsidy have supported these higher rates, with federal, state, and local governments now receiving about ₦1.1 trillion monthly from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

State-specific wage agreements include: Abia (₦70,000), Adamawa (₦70,000), Anambra (₦70,000), Jigawa (₦70,000), Borno (₦70,000), Ebonyi (₦75,000), Edo (₦70,000), Delta (₦77,000), Gombe (₦71,000), Ogun (₦77,000), Kebbi (₦75,000), Ondo (₦73,000), Kogi (₦72,000), and Kwara (₦70,000).

State-Specific Responses and Updates

– Bayelsa: Governor Douye Diri approved an ₦80,000 minimum wage along with better pensions, effective November 1, and released ₦7 billion to address unpaid gratuities.

– Ebonyi: Governor Francis Nwifuru announced a ₦75,000 wage for public workers, with a ₦40,000 boost for those on grade levels 3 and above. His decision followed a review of economic pressures affecting the workforce.

– Abia: Information Commissioner Okey Kanu confirmed the ₦70,000 wage implementation will start this month, a move demonstrating Governor Alex Otti’s commitment to worker welfare.

– Enugu: Governor Peter Mbah set an ₦80,000 minimum wage, recognizing labor’s role in wealth creation.

– Anambra: Governor Chukwuma Soludo kept the wage at ₦70,000, explaining that despite deductions (union dues, tax), workers could receive between ₦78,000 and ₦84,000, with the minimum take-home guaranteed at ₦70,000.

– Osun: The state’s Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee, led by Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, will meet with labor leaders to finalize adjustments.

– Benue: A committee is expected to conclude its report this week to determine an appropriate wage figure.

Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Okon, criticized any governor yet to adopt the new minimum wage as “insensitive” to worker needs, stressing that states now have the financial means to meet this commitment.