Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has thrown his weight behind organised labour’s demand for a massive increase in the minimum wage, accusing the Federal Government of destroying workers’ purchasing power.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja by the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the current N70,000 minimum wage is a mere paper increase that cannot survive the reality of rising fuel, transport, food and housing costs.
He argued that after the removal of petrol subsidy, workers are poorer despite earning more.
“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?” Atiku asked.
The Shocking Maths Of Hardship
Atiku provided damning figures to back his claim.
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As of April 2023, with petrol at N254.06 per litre, the old N30,000 minimum wage could buy about 118 litres of fuel. Today, at N1,400 per litre, N70,000 buys only about 50 litres.
“The pay slip 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,” he declared.
The former Vice President also compared Nigeria with other oil-producing African countries, noting that workers in Libya, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon earn higher minimum wages when converted to naira.
He stressed that petrol price hikes go far beyond the pump.
“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 said.
Atiku’s Challenge To FG
Atiku challenged the Federal Government to stop stringing the Nigeria Labour Congress along with endless meetings and agree to a living wage that reflects the true cost of food, transportation, rent and electricity.
“If he has no intention of raising workers’ pay, he should say so plainly and stop stringing the NLC and other labour leaders along,” he said.
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Promising relief if elected in 2027, Atiku said his administration would raise the wage floor, support domestic refining, enforce spending limits, and stabilise prices of essential goods.
“Nigerians do not eat FAAC figures. A full treasury is no answer to an empty kitchen. A living wage must buy a living. It is not a privilege; it is a basic right,” Atiku stated.
