By Jane Okeke
ActionAid Nigeria has launched an investigative research report on minimum wage implementation and pension payment compliance in Nigeria, as the Nigeria Labour Congress calls for urgent wage negotiations amid rising living costs.
Speaking at the launch at Rockview Royale Hotel, Abuja, ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said the research was timely, given concerns over workers’ purchasing power and the implementation of minimum wage provisions across the country.
Mamedu recalled that Nigeria’s minimum wage rose from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 in 2024, while the statutory review period was reduced from five years to three years. He maintained that wage discussions must reflect the economic realities facing workers rather than depend solely on the review timetable.
He said economic progress should also be measured by the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, stressing that minimum wage concerns affect workers in both the public and private sectors, including those employed by small and medium-sized businesses.
Mamedu explained that ActionAid Nigeria collaborated with the Nigeria Labour Congress on the research, which examined compliance with minimum wage provisions. He said the exercise involved consultations with workers, pensioners, government officials and relevant agencies to assess implementation across different sectors.
He urged stakeholders, particularly government authorities, to act on the report’s findings and recommendations, warning against allowing the research to end without concrete follow-up. He also emphasised the media’s role in promoting accountability.
In his remarks, Nigeria Labour Congress President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, called for negotiations on a new minimum wage to begin without delay, arguing that the process could take several months and that further delays would leave workers struggling with rising food, transport and energy costs.
Ajaero said inflation and higher living expenses had eroded the purchasing power of the current ₦70,000 minimum wage. He called for interim support for workers before a new wage agreement is reached and urged that minimum pension payments be addressed alongside minimum wage negotiations.
The labour leader also called for measures to ease the cost of living, including improved public transport alternatives, reliable electricity supply and greater attention to informal-sector workers. The research launch is expected to support further discussions with government and other stakeholders on wage compliance, pension payments and workers’ welfare.
