The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the ₦70,000 national minimum wage is no longer sufficient for Nigerian workers to cope with rising living costs.
Speaking at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit organised by XEM Consultants Limited, Keyamo explained that the increasing living costs had eroded workers’ purchasing power and made an upward review of wages necessary.
The minister urged the Federal Government to meet organised labour halfway in ongoing wage discussions, noting that unions were demanding as much as ₦500,000.
He recalled the negotiations that preceded the increase in the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 in 2024, but said the current wage remained inadequate to cushion workers from the economic pressures they face.
Keyamo also criticised the treatment of workers by some government agencies, particularly cases where employees are denied basic allowances while senior officials allegedly approve large sums for international trips.
“I will have none of it. Without these workers, we will not have a country,” he said.
He stressed that workers’ welfare should be prioritised, noting that human resources are essential to productivity, effective public service and national development.
“It’s not the machines or everything that you have; it’s the human factor. Without that, no machine will move,” he said.
Keyamo further urged ministers and heads of government agencies to place workers’ interests ahead of bureaucratic considerations, saying greater attention should be given to employee welfare and productivity.
Also speaking at the summit, NLC President Joe Ajaero called for government intervention to cushion workers and other Nigerians from rising fuel, transportation and food costs.
Ajaero said wage negotiations should focus on workers’ actual purchasing power rather than nominal wage figures.
By Musekir Faisat Omolara
