The Nigeria Labour Congress in Ondo State has demanded an urgent review of the minimum wage to N256,950, insisting that the current N73,000 being paid by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to workers in the state was inadequate.  

The NLC made the demand in a letter to Mr Aiyedatiwa, following the wage increment by some states in the country, particularly Imo State which increased the minimum wage of their workforce above the federal government benchmark, in response to the prevailing economic realities. 

The union and its affiliates, in their letters – a copy which Peoples Gazette sighted on Sunday in Akure, the state capital, noted that amid the galloping inflation, rising costs of food, transportation, housing, and other essential services, the N73,000 minimum wage could no longer sustain them.

In the letter, signed by the state Chairman, Ademola Olapade, and the Secretary, Akin Sunday, lauded Mr Aiyedatiwa for prompt payment of salaries and pensions, including timely promotion of deserving workers.

However, they stated that the current minimum wage was unsustainable and incapable of meeting workers’ basic needs amid “excruciating hunger.”

The labour union also requested a corresponding review of pensions for the state retirees.

The union stated, “We write on behalf of the workers and pensioners of Ondo State to make a formal and urgent demand for a comprehensive upward review of the new minimum wage in the state. This demand is based on compelling factors rooted in economic reality, the rising cost of living, and the moral obligation to protect the dignity and welfare of workers and retirees. It is no longer news that the Nigerian economy has been severely battered by inflation, currency devaluation, removal of fuel subsidy, and skyrocketing costs of food, housing, transportation and healthcare. These factors have eroded the value of wages and left the average worker and pensioner in perpetual economic suffocation.’’ 

The NLC stressed that Ondo, being an oil-producing state, continued to witness increased internally generated revenue and higher federal allocations, particularly from oil earnings and subsidy savings.

The union recalled that during the last wage negotiation, the state government pledged to review workers’ welfare in line with revenue inflows.