₦70,000 wage inadequate for workers — Keyamo

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has stated that the N70,000 national minimum wage is inadequate to withstand the economic pressures confronting Nigerian workers. Speaking at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit organised by XEM Consultants Limited, Keyamo noted that the rising cost of living has eroded the purchasing power of workers, making an upward review of wages imperative. He urged the Federal Government to meet organised labour halfway in ongoing discussions on workers' wages, noting that unions were demanding as much as N500,000. The minister, a former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, recalled the negotiations that preceded the increase in the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 in 2024, and said the current wage was still insufficient to absorb the economic shocks confronting workers. He also criticised what he described as poor treatment of workers by some employers.

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