Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to increase Nigeria’s N70,000 minimum wage, saying rising fuel prices and the cost of essential goods have significantly reduced workers’ purchasing power.
Atiku, who is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, made the demand in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
He argued that the current minimum wage was no longer sufficient to meet the basic needs of Nigerian workers, particularly amid rising expenses on transportation, food, housing and electricity.
Atiku compared the purchasing power of the current minimum wage with that of the previous N30,000 wage, noting that the earlier amount could purchase approximately 118 litres of petrol when the average price was N254.06 per litre in April 2023.
However, he said the current N70,000 wage could purchase only about 50 litres of petrol at an estimated price of N1,400 per litre.
The former vice president attributed the pressure on households partly to the removal of petrol subsidy by the Tinubu administration, arguing that workers had not received adequate protection against the resulting increase in living costs.
He called on the President to approve a substantial wage increase based on prevailing prices of food, transportation, rent and electricity, rather than allowing workers to wait through prolonged negotiations.
Atiku also promised to begin work on raising the minimum wage if elected president in 2027, alongside measures aimed at supporting local production and reducing the burden of high living costs.
As part of his proposals, he advocated a targeted production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to local consumers. He said the proposed intervention would have spending limits, public accounting and independent audits.
However, the APC Presidential Campaign Council has questioned the proposal, seeking clarification on its funding, legal framework, implementation and safeguards against fraud and diversion.
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise has also cautioned against returning to a universal petrol subsidy, citing potential pressure on government finances while advocating targeted support for affected consumers.
Atiku maintained that increasing salaries alone would not provide lasting relief unless accompanied by policies addressing the rising cost of essential goods and services.
He said his proposed approach would combine higher wages with social protection, support for domestic production and measures to stabilise energy costs.
