'Not N62,000': Nigerians’ Preferred Minimum Wage Disclosed amid Economic Hardship

• There is a strong desire among Nigerians for the minimum wage to be raised from the current N30,000 to above N100,000
• This came as the FG increased its offer for the new minimum wage to N62,000 from the earlier N60,000, while the organised labour is proposing N250,000
• Legit.ng reports that Nigerian workers' unions may launch a fresh nationwide strike to protest the failure to implement a new minimum wage to help workers cope with the high cost of living amid economic reforms

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering governance and public journalism.

FCT, Abuja - Majority of Nigerians want the new minimum wage to be over 200 per cent higher than the current figure (N30,000).

More than 60 per cent of the respondents who took part in an opinion poll by Premium Times believe that the minimum wage should be between N100,000 and N200,000 — considering the current economic situation in the country.

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Labour may resume strike as top official speaks on imminent meeting over minimum wage

The poll was conducted recently on the media platform’s verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The voters were asked a single question:

“What should be a reasonable “living wage” considering the economic situation?”

The options given are as follows:

• Less than N100k
• N100k-200k
• N200k-N300k
• N300k-N500k

At least 3,049 internet users took part in the poll with 61 per cent of people voting that the new minimum wage should be between N100k and N200k per month.

14.8 per cent opted for a minimum wage of between N200,000 and N300,000; 12.8 per cent said between N300,000 and N500,000 while 10.9 per cent settled for less than N100,000.

Hardship in Nigeria

Legit.ng reports that the Tinubu government has removed a subsidy that kept the price of fuel high.

The removal of the fuel subsidy and the struggling value of the naira against the dollar have led to arguably the worst economic crisis in recent times.

Read also

Shehu Sani explains meaning of N62K new minimum wage proposal

Unions have warned they will not hesitate to strike again soon if their negotiations prove fruitless.

FG offers N62k as new minimum wage

Meanwhile, following several hours of meetings on Friday, June 7, the federal government and the organised private sector increased their offer for the new minimum wage to N62,000 from the earlier N60,000.

However, the organised labour is proposing N250,000, which is a shift from its earlier N494,000.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng