New wage proposed for Nigerian workers

Nigerian workers may soon be getting a living wage of at least N100,000 if eventually approved by the Federal Government.

Lawmakers at the House of Representatives proposed this on Wednesday.

The House has also set up an ad-hoc committee to look into modalities for the payment the wage.

This move was sequel to the adoption of a motion co-sponsored by 40 lawmakers.

Moving the motion, Aliyu Sani Madaki said the country’s inflation rate has made it difficult for an average Nigerian to afford basic needs such as food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transportation, and clothing.

The lawmaker noted that has impacted negatively on the cost of living with the cost of food, accommodation, education have been on the rise.

He maintained that Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and Article 23 of the Declaration which states that “every individual who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration to ensure such a person and his or her family exist in dignity.”

He stressed that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have a 2030 achievement deadline, and eight out of the 17 SDGs of the United Nations require the payment of a living wage to be achieved.

The lawmaker recalled that when the fuel subsidy was removed in May 2023, the federal government offered palliatives to cushion its effects.

He, however, observed that the ameliorative effect of the measure had been overtaken by the continued rise in the cost of goods and services.

He said notwithstanding the recent wage award by the president, the purchasing power of people was still low owing to the continued rise in the cost of living in the country and the fall of the naira.

Madaki said the Trade Economics in 2018 put the living wage for a Nigerian and a Nigerian family to be N43,200 per month and N137,600 per month respectively prior to the removal of subsidy on fuel.

He said “no labourer can live in Nigeria with a wage of less than N100,000” given the current economic reality of the country.

He noted that according to the World Bank report, low purchasing power in the country occasioned by a high inflationary rate, had led to an increase in poverty across the country.

“Unless very immediate and pragmatic steps are taken to improve the income of Nigerians, more Nigerians will go down the economic line, with the poor population increasing,” he said.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to voice vote and resolution is to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.