The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has made a fresh promise to Nigerians regarding the minimum wage ahead of the January 16 election.
In a statement on Sunday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he would begin the work of raising the minimum wage from N70,000 on his first day in office if elected president.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu need not delay in accepting the demand for a wage review by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
According to him, the N1,400 per litre fuel price, rent, school fees and other factors impacting the cost of living have made the current N70,000 minimum wage inadequate.
He noted that what is most important to Nigerians is not the monthly Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue shared among the three tiers of government, but whether workers can live on what they earn.
“Nigerians do not eat FAAC figures. A full treasury is no answer to an empty kitchen. The test of this government is whether the men and women who work all month can live on what they earn.
“Nigerian workers deserve an answer, not another round of meetings that ends where it began. I will begin the work of raising the wage floor from my first day in office,” Atiku said.
Nigerian Newssphere reports that civil servants had proposed a N500,000 minimum wage or a reduction of petrol prices to N500 per litre.
Meanwhile, the Tinubu administration has maintained that the N70,000 minimum wage can no longer adequately meet workers’ needs, proposing an upward review.
