Nigerian Workers Confirm Receipt of Alerts As FG Begins Payment Of N70,000 New Minimum Wage 

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde 

Nigerian workers have confirmed that they have started receiving the Federal Government’s newly approved minimum wage.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN ) News reports that the spokesperson for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Benson Upah, and the Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Tommy Etim, made this announcement in separate statements obtained by press men.

Reacting to the development, Upah urged other organizations to follow the Government’s lead. 

"Yes, I believe so. We encourage other establishments to follow this example," he said.

Their comments came after DAILY POST reported that the Federal Government had commenced payment of the N70,000 minimum wage.

OTN News further reports that a civil servant in the Office of the Head of Civil Service, who spoke anonymously, also confirmed receiving the new wage for September 2024. 

“I got the alert around 2 pm on Thursday. I’m hopeful the arrears will be paid soon,” the source revealed. 

Similarly, Etim of the TUC remarked, "The FG's committee on consequential adjustments has already provided a template, so there’s no excuse for delaying the payment. We now urge all other entities to begin implementing the new minimum wage."

Several federal workers also confirmed they had received an additional N40,000 as part of the adjustment, marking the start of the payment for over 1.2 million federal employees.

On Tuesday, Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, confirmed the Government's approval of the revised public service salary structure (CONPSS) in accordance with the 2024 Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act. 

This followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's approval of the N70,000 minimum wage on July 18, 2024.

The Senate later passed the bill, formalizing the increase from the previous N30,000 minimum wage during President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

While the pay raise offers some relief, it comes at a time when inflation is soaring, with headline inflation at 32.15% and food inflation at 37.52% as of August 2024, making everyday living expenses significantly higher.