20 States Yet To Implement N70,000 Minimum Wage For LG Workers, Teachers – NULGE

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has disclosed that no fewer than 20 Nigerian states have yet to begin payment of the N70,000 salary to local government workers and primary school teachers, Despite the Federal Government’s approval of a new minimum wage.

This was disclosed by the National President of NULGE, Alhaji Haruna Kankara, on Sunday who stated that states including Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others, have not commenced implementation of the wage increase signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in July 2024.

The Minimum Wage Act, which raised workers’ earnings from N30,000 to N70,000, a 133% increase, was introduced to cushion the effects of ongoing economic hardship.

While some states like Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Enugu have begun payment, others are reportedly delaying action or excluding local government staff and teachers from the new structure.

Kankara said: “We are concerned that over 20 states have not implemented the new wage for LG workers and primary school teachers. Some states started with state workers alone and left out the LG staff. We are in continuous dialogue with these governments to correct the situation.”

In Kwara State, although the government began paying the new wage in October 2024, heavy taxation is said to be eroding the salary gains.

NULGE state president Seun Oyinlade explained that while LG staff received the new wage, increased taxes significantly reduced their take-home pay. A three-month tax relief granted by the state expired in December 2024, with deductions resuming in January.

Teachers in the FCT have also raised alarms over wage exclusion. A recent strike in March, which marked the fourth in four months, was staged by primary school teachers to protest the non-implementation of the new wage. The industrial action disrupted second-term examinations across six area councils.

A communique issued by the FCT branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) condemned the continued neglect, stating, “Why the continuous impoverishing of the impoverished? Enough is enough!” The union demanded the immediate implementation of the new salary, payment of arrears, and additional allowances including a 40% peculiar allowance.

Despite the nationwide rollout, data from NUT have further revealed that some teachers in states such as Zamfara, Yobe, Taraba, and Benue have yet to receive the N30,000 minimum wage approved in 2019, making the N70,000 benchmark seem out of reach.

Meanwhile, some LG workers in Sokoto confirmed receiving the new wage from January, noting that a N50,000 increment was added to their previous salary. However, it was also revealed that the 2019 wage increase had never been fully implemented in some LGAs before the latest adjustment.

The delay, NULGE said, is partly due to the failure of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to issue a directive allowing LGs to open bank accounts for direct funding.

Mohammed Abubakar, Secretary-General of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), added that state finance commissioners are also hindering direct payments to LGAs.