Nine months after the federal government approved N70,000 the new minimum wage, the policy’s implementation across Nigeria remains inconsistent, especially for local government workers and primary school teachers.
While several states have embraced the wage increase, others have either delayed implementation or excluded specific worker categories. According to the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), about 20 states are yet to fully implement the new minimum wage for local government workers and teachers. These states include Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, Borno, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
President Bola Tinubu signed the Minimum Wage Act into law on July 29, 2024, after extensive negotiations with labour unions. The law raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, representing a 133% increase, aimed at cushioning the impact of rising living costs.
Some states such as Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom began paying the new wage within months. Others followed gradually. However, reports show that a number of states implemented it only at the state level, leaving out local councils and primary school teachers.
NULGE’s National President, Haruna Kankara, said, “In some states, state workers are receiving the new minimum wage, but local government workers and teachers are not. We’re still engaging with those governments to ensure full implementation.”
In Kwara State, the government began paying the new wage to all categories of workers including those at the local government level in October 2024. However, workers say heavy taxation has significantly reduced their take-home pay.
“We got three months of tax relief, but it ended in December,” said Seun Oyinlade, NULGE Chairman in Kwara. “Since January, full deductions resumed.”
Kwara NLC Chairman Muritala Olayinka confirmed the development. “We appealed for a one-year tax holiday, but only three months were approved. We’ve written again to the governor and await a response.”
In the FCT, the situation has led to multiple strikes by teachers. The most recent began in March, disrupting second-term exams across public schools in the six area councils.
A teacher in Bwari Area Council said, “The councils paid February salaries without reflecting the agreed minimum wage. This goes against earlier promises made during negotiations.”
The teachers’ union in the FCT issued a statement demanding the full implementation of the N70,000 wage, payment of arrears, and other agreed allowances. The union also criticized the payment process, describing it as inconsistent and lacking transparency.
However, there are examples of progress. In Sokoto, teachers and local government workers began receiving the adjusted salary in January. “Though delayed due to FAAC allocations, we’ve received payments for January and February,” said Abdullahi Umar, a public school teacher.
Another local government staffer in Sokoto, Usman Abdullah, noted that N50,000 was added to their previous salary. However, he added that the N30,000 minimum wage from the previous administration was never fully implemented at the local level. In other news, iNaijanow recently shared a post on the US’ imposition of 14% tarief on all imports from Nigeria.
Beyond wages, the issue of local government autonomy remains unresolved. Kankara explained that the Central Bank of Nigeria has not issued a directive for LGAs to open independent accounts. Without that, allocations continue to pass through state governments.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Teachers says some states have yet to implement even the previous N30,000 minimum wage. The list includes Zamfara, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, and Benue, among others.
A teacher in Yobe expressed concern: “We’ve not received the previous minimum wage. Now, we’re being asked to wait for the new one. It’s frustrating.”
Efforts to reach key officials for comment were unsuccessful as of press time. However, labour unions say they remain in talks with state governments and are hopeful that full implementation will eventually take effect nationwide.
As it stands, the gap between federal policy and state-level execution continues to generate concern among workers, unions, and education stakeholders alike.
