Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to increase Nigeria’s minimum wage, arguing that the current N70,000 monthly wage has been weakened by rising petrol and living costs.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, also supported organised labour’s demand for a substantial increase in workers’ pay. In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku criticised the impact of the government’s petrol subsidy removal on workers and households.
According to him, the policy has contributed to higher costs of transportation, food and other essential goods, making it difficult for workers to cope with their current income.
“The government pulled away the floor, offered workers a flimsy umbrella and now applauds itself while the rain beats down on them,” Atiku said. “Fuel, transport, food and rent have devoured their earnings. This is a callous way to govern people who work hard and ask only for the means to live.”
Nigeria’s minimum wage was increased from N30,000 to N70,000 in 2024 after negotiations involving the federal government, state governments, organised labour and the private sector. Atiku, however, said the increase has not restored workers’ purchasing power because of the rise in petrol prices and other household expenses. He based his argument on a petrol price of N1,400 per litre, saying a worker earning the N70,000 minimum wage could purchase only about 50 litres of petrol.
“At ₦1,400 a litre, the entire ₦70,000 monthly minimum wage buys just 50 litres of petrol,” he said. “What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?”
Atiku compared this with the situation in April 2023, when the national average petrol price was N254.06 per litre. He said the N30,000 minimum wage at the time could purchase about 118 litres of petrol.
“The payslip has grown, but the fuel it can buy has more than halved. Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life. That is hardship dressed up as a wage increase,” he said.
The former vice president also compared Nigeria’s minimum wage with those of other African countries. Using exchange rates from July 24, 2026, Atiku said Libya’s monthly minimum wage was equivalent to about N213,000, while Algeria’s was about N245,000. He put Equatorial Guinea’s at N302,000 and Gabon’s at N351,000. He also said Benin Republic’s minimum wage was higher than Nigeria’s when converted using the cited exchange rates. He acknowledged that wage systems and living costs differ across countries but maintained that the differences do not make N70,000 sufficient for Nigerian workers facing current prices.
“The Nigerian worker is the engine of this country’s productive life, yet Tinubu expects that engine to run without fuel,” he said.
Atiku urged the president to approve a substantial increase in the minimum wage, saying workers’ pay should reflect the cost of food, transportation, rent and electricity. He also argued that rising petrol prices affect more than transportation because higher fuel costs can increase the cost of production, movement of goods and household expenses.
“Petrol does not stay at the pump. Its price follows the farmer to market, enters the baker’s oven and appears in the fare a parent pays to take a child to school,” he said.
Atiku’s call comes amid renewed demands from organised labour for a review of the N70,000 minimum wage as workers face increased living costs.
