N70,000 Minimum Wage Now Worth 50 Litres of Fuel – Atiku Tells Tinubu to Increase Workers Pay

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately review and increase the national minimum wage.

Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said the current N70,000 wage can no longer sustain workers because of rising prices of fuel, food, transport and housing.

The call was contained in a statement on Sunday issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

He said Nigerian workers are facing a sharp drop in purchasing power even after the minimum wage was increased by law.

The Federal Government had raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 in July 2024 after negotiations with organised labour. President Tinubu said at the time that the wage would be reviewed again after three years.

Atiku said the increase has not helped workers to cope with inflation.

He stated that with petrol selling at N1,400 per litre, the entire N70,000 monthly wage can only buy 50 litres of petrol, asking what would be left for feeding, rent and transport to work.

He compared the present situation to April 2023 when petrol sold for N254.06 per litre on average. At that price, N30,000 could buy about 118 litres, while N70,000 at today’s price buys about 50 litres.

According to him, the figure on the payslip has gone up but the value it carries has dropped by more than half.

The statement comes amid fresh complaints about fuel prices and cost of living, with petrol selling around N1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja and higher in some northern states. Many households are worried about how fuel costs affect their budgets.

Atiku also faulted the removal of petrol subsidy, saying it was removed before measures were put in place to protect working families.

He explained that petrol price affects more than just transport, as it increases the cost of food and other goods because farmers, bakers and commercial drivers all depend on fuel.

He argued that when compared with some other African oil producing countries, Nigeria’s minimum wage is low based on exchange rate conversion, though he admitted that living costs differ by country.

He asked President Tinubu to be clear on whether there will be another wage increase and not keep the Nigeria Labour Congress and other labour unions in endless meetings.

Atiku said if elected president in 2027, he would start work on raising the wage from his first day in office and also introduce plans to reduce cost of living.

His plans include support for local production, targeted social protection and intervention in the petroleum sector through a production subsidy for locally refined products sold to Nigerians, with spending limits and independent auditing.

The Tinubu administration had earlier defended the N70,000 wage, saying it was agreed with labour to provide quick relief.

Atiku insisted that the real test is whether workers can live on what they earn at the end of the month.