The National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Haruna Kankara, has decried the refusal of about 20 state governments to implement the new N70,000 minimum wage for local government workers and primary school teachers, despite the law being in effect since July 2024.
Kankara named states such as Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Borno, and others as being among those yet to comply with the Minimum Wage Act signed by President Bola Tinubu on July 29, 2024.
The legislation increased the national minimum wage by 133 percent—from N30,000 to N70,000—in response to Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions.
“While some states have started implementing the law, especially for core civil servants, local government workers and primary school teachers remain sidelined in many cases,” Kankara lamented. “We’ve continued to plead with these states to fulfill their obligations, but promises have not translated into action.”
Local Government Autonomy Still in Limbo
Kankara also pointed out the delay in implementing full financial autonomy for local governments. “We are still waiting for the Central Bank of Nigeria to direct councils to open accounts, as required for financial independence. That directive has not come,” he said.
Mixed Realities Across States
While some states like Lagos, Rivers, Enugu, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom have begun paying the new wage, others have either stalled implementation or excluded specific categories of workers.
In Kwara State, local government staff started receiving the new wage in October 2024. However, state NULGE president, Seun Oyinlade, said high taxation has eroded the financial benefit. “The government granted a three-month tax relief, but that ended in December. Since January, deductions have resumed,” he said.
Confirming this, Kwara NLC Chairman, Muritala Olayinka, said the union has requested an extension of the tax relief. “We hope for a positive response,” he said.
Inconsistent Wage Histories
In Sokoto, some teachers reported receiving the new wage as of January, albeit after delays blamed on FAAC disbursements. “They added N50,000 to our previous salaries, but the N30,000 minimum wage was never fully implemented before this,” said local government staffer, Usman Abdullah.
More concerning, however, is that some states have yet to implement even the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage for teachers. According to data from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), states including Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, and others still owe the previous minimum wage.
A teacher in Yobe, speaking anonymously, said: “We didn’t benefit from the N30,000 wage. Now everyone is talking about N70,000—we’ve been left behind twice.”
FCT Teachers Stage Fourth Strike Over Wage Denial
In the FCT, local government workers and teachers have repeatedly protested the non-implementation of the new wage. A recent strike in March 2025 was the fourth such action in four months, disrupting second-term examinations across six area councils.
In a communique issued after the strike was declared, the FCT chapter of the NUT said, “The payment of February salaries without factoring in the new minimum wage is not only disheartening but a clear act of neglect.”
They demanded immediate implementation of the February salary adjustment, back pay for arrears, and rollout of allowances, including a 40% peculiar allowance.
Government Response Muted
Efforts to reach the NUT’s National President, Titus Amba, and Secretary General, Mike Ene, were unsuccessful as their phones were reportedly switched off.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Mohammed Abubakar, blamed the deadlock on state finance commissioners, accusing them of frustrating direct fund disbursement to LGAs.
As agitation grows among marginalized public servants, civil society groups and labour unions continue to call on the Federal Government to enforce compliance with the national wage law and uphold the dignity of Nigeria’s grassroots workforce.
