With the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatening a nationwide strike starting Monday, December 1, the remaining states yet to implement the N70,000 minimum wage are making last-ditch efforts to avoid disruptions.
While 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory have complied with the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, Katsina, Cross River, and Zamfara remain non-compliant. This comes after Imo State approved the new wage on Tuesday.
Several states have gone beyond the N70,000 baseline, with Lagos and Rivers offering the highest monthly pay of N85,000. Lagos further announced plans to raise workers' wages to N100,000 by the first quarter of 2025. Other notable approvals include:
- N80,000: Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Oyo, and Niger
- N77,000: Delta and Ogun
- N75,000: Ebonyi, Osun, Benue, and Kebbi
- N73,000: Ondo
- N72,000: Kogi and Kaduna
- N71,000: Kano and Gombe
Meanwhile, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Jigawa, Borno, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Taraba, Ekiti, Bauchi, Yobe, Imo, Plateau, and the FCT have settled for N70,000.
Labour unions in Cross River, demanding immediate implementation of the N70,000 wage, commenced a two-day warning strike from midnight on November 24 to November 26. The action follows a failed meeting with state officials, where union leaders accused the government of delaying the wage review until January.
During the meeting on November 18, hosted by the state’s Head of Service, Innocent Eteng, labour leaders staged a walkout after accusing the government of using stalling tactics.
Governor Bassey Otu’s earlier announcement of a N40,000 minimum wage during the May 1 International Workers’ Day celebration had sparked outrage among state civil servants. Otu cited limited federal allocation and the state’s weak GDP as reasons for the reduced wage offer.
However, workers argue that other resource-constrained states like Edo and Lagos have implemented higher wages, raising expectations for a similar commitment from Cross River.
With the NLC’s strike looming, Katsina, Zamfara, and Cross River risk a shutdown of state activities from Monday if no resolution is reached. Labour leaders have maintained that only full implementation of the N70,000 wage will avert further action.
The upcoming days will be crucial as negotiations continue, with both workers and state governments seeking to prevent disruptions that could affect millions nationwide.
