Atiku Urges Tinubu To Raise N70,000 Wage
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately raise the national minimum wage, arguing that the current N70,000 wage has been eroded by rising costs of fuel, food, transportation and housing.
Atiku, in a statement on Sunday, issued by the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said workers were being forced to cope with a sharp decline in their purchasing power despite the increase in the statutory minimum wage.
He challenged the Federal Government to agree to what he described as a substantial wage increase that reflects prevailing living costs.
Recall that the FG raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 in July 2024 after negotiations with organised labour. President Tinubu also said at the time that the wage would be reviewed after three years.
However, Atiku argued that the increase had failed to adequately protect workers from the effects of rising prices.
“At N1,400 a litre, the entire N70,000 monthly minimum wage buys just 50 litres of petrol. What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?” the statement queried in part.
Atiku compared the purchasing power of the old and current wage levels, saying that at the April 2023 national average petrol price of N254.06 per litre, the sum of N30,000 could purchase about 118 litres, whereas N70,000 at N1,400 per litre would purchase about 50 litres.
“The payslip has grown, but the fuel it can buy has more than halved. Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life. That is hardship dressed up as a wage increase,” he added.
His comments come amid renewed pressure over petrol prices and the wider cost of living.
Recent reports put petrol prices at about N1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja, with higher prices recorded in parts of northern Nigeria. The development has intensified concerns about the effect of fuel costs on household budgets and transportation.
The statement also criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy was implemented before adequate protection was put in place for working families.
“The government pulled away the floor, offered workers a flimsy umbrella and now applauds itself while the rain beats down on them,” Atiku said.
According to him, the impact of petrol prices extends beyond the filling station because higher energy and transportation costs feed into the prices of food and other essential commodities.
“Petrol does not stay at the pump. Its price follows the farmer to market, enters the baker’s oven and appears in the fare a parent pays to take a child to school,” he stressed.
Atiku also argued that Nigeria’s minimum wage compares unfavourably with those of some other African oil-producing countries when converted using the exchange rates cited in his statement.
He, however, acknowledged that wage structures and living costs differ from country to country, but maintained that such differences did not make N70,000 sufficient for Nigerian workers facing current prices.
Atiku challenged Tinubu to make his position on another wage increase clear, saying workers should not be subjected to prolonged negotiations without a definite outcome.
“If he has no intention of raising workers’ pay, he should say so plainly and stop stringing the Nigeria Labour Congress and other labour leaders along. Nigerian workers deserve an answer, not another round of meetings that ends where it began,” he added.
He promised that, if elected in 2027, his administration would begin work on raising the wage floor from its first day in office.
“I will begin the work of raising the wage floor from my first day in office,” Atiku assured.
He further promised measures aimed at reducing the cost of living, including support for domestic production, targeted social protection and interventions in the petroleum sector.
Atiku said his proposed targeted production subsidy would support petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold to Nigerians, subject to spending limits, public accounting and independent auditing.
“Government support must produce measurable relief at the pump,” he said.
The former vice president also called for measures to stabilise the prices of essential goods and energy, arguing that higher wages alone would not adequately address the pressures facing households if the cost of living continued to rise.
The Tinubu-led government has previously defended its wage and economic measures, saying the N70,000 minimum wage was agreed after consultations with organised labour and other stakeholders. At the time of the agreement, the presidency said the new wage was intended to provide urgent relief while also promising a review after three years.
Atiku nevertheless maintained that the purchasing power of workers remained the central issue.
“Nigerians do not eat FAAC figures. A full treasury is no answer to an empty kitchen. The test of this government is whether the men and women who work all month can live on what they earn.
“A living wage must buy a living. It is not a privilege; it is a basic right.
“Tinubu has made life painfully expensive. I will make life affordable again,” he added.
