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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately increase Nigeria’s national minimum wage, arguing that soaring costs for food, fuel, housing, and transport have completely eroded the current N70,000 baseline.
In a Sunday statement issued by campaign official Phrank Shaibu, Atiku challenged the Nigerian government to match pay to actual living expenses.
— Phrank Shaibu (@phrankangel) September 27, 2026
He criticised the July 2024 wage increase from N30,000 as inadequate, noting that while the numeric value grew, workers’ actual purchasing power plummeted.
Atiku highlighted the drastic impact of rising fuel prices following the removal of the petrol subsidy without adequate safety nets.
“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?” Atiku queried.
He pointed out that the previous N30,000 wage bought roughly 118 litres of petrol at 2023 prices, stating, “Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life. That is hardship dressed up as a wage increase.”
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He emphasised that fuel costs directly inflate food and transport prices across the economy.
Demanding clarity from the administration, Atiku called on President Tinubu to stop stalling negotiations with organised labour and pledge real relief.
“A living wage must buy a living. It is not a privilege; it is a basic right,” Atiku asserted, promising that if elected in 2027, he would raise the wage floor on his first day in office alongside introducing targeted production subsidies for domestic refining to stabilise essential prices.
