New minimum wage: FG announces fresh update amid brouhaha
- The NLC President Joe Ajaero wrote to the Labour Minister on October 13, 2026, rejecting the government's position on when a minimum wage review should start
- Minister Dingyadi told the NLC that commencing a fresh review barely two years after the N70,000 wage took effect would disrupt industrial relations
- The dispute comes after the NLC used its Independence Day statement to demand wage negotiations begin immediately amid rising living costs
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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Federal Government are at odds over the timeline for reviewing the N70,000 national minimum wage, with the labour union insisting that preparations for a fresh round of negotiations must begin now.
NLC President Joe Ajaero made the union's position clear in a letter dated October 13, 2026, addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi. Ajaero rejected the government's argument that starting a new wage review so soon would be premature, citing the original National Minimum Wage Act, 2019, as the legal basis for the labour movement's demands.
Source: Twitter
According to The Punch, he called on the government to begin the process by inviting nominations and setting up the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee, which brings the government, organised labour and employers together at one table.
Government says review is too soon
Ajaero's letter came one day after Dingyadi wrote to acknowledge a communiqué from a joint session of the NLC's Central Working Committee and National Executive Council. In that letter, dated October 12, the minister argued that the current minimum wage would only become due for review on June 1, 2027. He warned that opening another round of talks barely two years after the N70,000 wage was signed into law in July 2024 would be disruptive to industrial relations in the country.
Pressure mounts over cost of living
The timing of the disagreement is significant. On October 1, 2026, the NLC used its Independence Day statement to push for three things: an immediate cut in petrol prices, a nationwide wage award, and the start of minimum wage negotiations. The union's position reflects growing frustration among workers over the rising cost of living and the shrinking value of their earnings.
With both sides now trading letters and the gap between their positions still wide, it remains unclear when a formal negotiation process will get under way.
Source: Twitter
Atiku accuses Tinubu of pipeline contract fraud
Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar called on President Tinubu to publish full details of NNPC's ₦11.2 trillion in other receivables from the Federation, including pipeline security spending.
The former vice president named Tantita and the Chagoury family as contractors he said have ties to Tinubu's re-election effort, raising conflict of interest concerns.
The statement, issued by the ADC Presidential Campaign Council on October 4, 2026, also challenged Tinubu over his remarks on returning from a four-week stay in Europe.
Source: Legit.ng
