Labour Urges Patience as States Delay Implementation of ₦70,000 Minimum Wage

Organised Labour has called on Nigerians to exercise patience with both the Federal and State Governments amid delays in implementing the newly approved ₦70,000 minimum wage.

The Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Political Commission, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, made this appeal during an interview with *Punch* on Monday.

Ndubuaku clarified that the delay should not be seen as an intentional move by the Federal Government to avoid paying the new wage, emphasizing that procedural steps are required.

President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, following consultations with leaders of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC). However, many states have yet to commence payment.

So far, only Lagos and Edo States claim to have started implementing the new wage. Seven other states—Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia—have established implementation committees, while many others are still lagging behind.

States yet to establish panels for implementation include Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Zamfara, Benue, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Enugu, Adamawa, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Cross River, and Yobe.

Despite the delays, Ndubuaku expressed optimism that the implementation processes could be completed by the end of August. He urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and assured workers that the union is working closely with the government to ensure the new wage is paid as soon as possible.

He stated, “We have no reason to suspect that (deliberate delay). In a real sense, signing the wage is just a small component of the main activity. There is something we call consequential