About 20 Nigerian states have come under criticism for failing to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage for local government workers and primary school teachers, despite the law being signed by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024.
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Haruna Kankara, revealed that states including Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, Borno, the FCT, and others are yet to comply with the wage increase signed into law last year. While some states have paid state-level workers, LG employees and teachers remain excluded.
Kankara disclosed this during an interview with The PUNCH, stating that although some governments had promised to implement the wage, they failed to follow through. He also highlighted issues with LG autonomy, noting that the Central Bank of Nigeria has yet to allow local governments to open independent accounts.
In contrast, states like Lagos, Rivers, Kwara, and Bayelsa began implementation in October 2024. However, in Kwara, heavy taxation has reportedly diminished the impact of the new wage, with only a brief three-month tax relief granted, which expired in December.
Despite reports of full implementation in Sokoto, an LG worker said the N70,000 wage was paid by adding N50,000 to previous earnings—bypassing the earlier N30,000 wage, which had not been implemented.
Further data from the National Union of Teachers revealed that several states including Taraba, Benue, and Adamawa have yet to pay the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage to teachers. Teachers in the FCT have gone on strike four times in four months over non-payment of the new wage and other unmet agreements.
The FCT strike, the latest of which began on March 24, 2025, disrupted examinations across the six area councils. Teachers have demanded immediate payment of the new wage, arrears, and allowances.
Efforts to reach the NUT leadership for comment were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria blamed state commissioners of finance for obstructing direct allocations to councils, worsening the financial challenges at the LG level.
As frustration grows among workers, unions continue to call on the Federal Government to intervene and ensure compliance across all states.
