Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) has asked Nigerians to challenge other candidates in the 2023 presidential election to state their stand on the minimum wage. 

Mr Sowore asserts that no Nigerian worker should earn less than N100,000 monthly salary, considering the time they spend on their jobs.

In April 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new minimum wage bill into law. According to the law, the lowest ranked Nigerian worker should earn at least N30,000 monthly.

But Mr Sowore reckoned the pay structure is unjust in today’s economic realities.

Tweeting via his @YeleSowore handle on Thursday, Mr Sowore advised Nigerians to question all the presidential candidates to know their plans regarding workers’ welfare.

“This morning you should ask all the Presidential candidates what’s the ideal minimum wage they recommend for Nigerian workers? 

“A  labourer is worthy of his hire’ Considering the cost of living and currency value today in Nigeria no worker should earn less than N100k minimum wage,” Mr Sowore tweeted.

Meanwhile, many state governments have failed to implement the N30,000 minimum wage approved by the Buhari regime.

In June 2022, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) urged the federal government to compel state governors owing the National Minimum Wage to implement it without further delay.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, mentioned Taraba, Zamfara, Cross River, and Abia states among the states still refusing to implement the new minimum wage as approved by the FG. 

“Nigerian government needs to call them to order and ask them to implement the National Minimum Wage for workers in those states,” Mr Wabba had appealed during the 110 Session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to a report by an international e-commerce company, Picodi, an adult in Nigeria, as of January 2022, needs a minimum of N40,980 per month for basic foodstuffs for healthy living.

The report found that Nigeria’s minimum wage is adrift of the minimum cost needed for basic healthy living by 36.60 per cent.