LAGOS, NIGERIA – The Obidient Movement Worldwide endorsed a proposal by the Nigeria Labour Congress to raise the national minimum wage to ₦154,000 ($112.03) on Friday, May 1, 2026.
Okay News reports that the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, released a statement in Abuja asking the Federal Government, under Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to approve the request from the NLC. Tanko said, “I strongly urge the Federal Government, led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to implement the proposal from the NLC, so that Nigerian workers can navigate through the depleting economic condition of the country and afford necessities.”
The coordinator noted that the current national minimum wage of ₦70,000 ($50.91) is insufficient due to inflation. Referencing data from the Nigeria Labour Force Survey for Q1 2025, Tanko identified that 116.6 million citizens are within the working-age demographic. Tanko said, “However, despite the input from our most cherished labour force, the Federal Government has not done its best to sustain the tempo of productivity and provide a requisite socio-economic environment for our workers to thrive.”
Tanko attributed business closures and a 5.3 per cent increase in unemployment to economic policies enacted over the past three years, citing the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). He said, “In the past three years, after the current Federal Government assumed office, unemployment rates increased by over 5.3 per cent, as stated by the NBS. The implication of this is that homes have been destabilised, jobs have been shuttered, and breadwinners displaced.”
The statement outlined demands for improved working conditions, lower taxation, and housing support. Tanko said, “Rather than allotting residential plots for about 70 ambassadorial designate which gives them valuable lands and houses in Abuja, workers spend their time, energy and skill growing the economy and serving the nation for years without getting any substantial reward.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress previously approved the ₦70,000 ($50.91) wage in July 2024. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, stated that organized labor seeks a living wage to counter the declining value of the national currency. Tanko noted that the national debt has exceeded ₦150 trillion ($109.11 billion), consuming a large portion of the 2026 budget for debt servicing.
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