Olusegun Adeyemo
The Lagos chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has set the stage for what could become a fierce wage battle in Nigeria’s economic capital.
Rising inflation, skyrocketing rents, and spiraling transport fares have left workers in the state groaning under unbearable hardship, prompting union leaders to mount pressure on the government for a drastic change.
At the center of this growing storm is the demand for a new minimum wage—one far higher than what Lagos workers currently take home.
After wage reviews in Imo and Ebonyi lifted civil servants’ pay to record levels, Lagos NLC chairperson, Funmi Sesi, declared that it was time for the state to follow suit. She unveiled the union’s bold position: a new minimum wage of ₦150,000 for workers in Lagos.
Speaking on behalf of the union, Sesi said Lagos workers currently earn ₦85,000 as minimum wage—an amount that has long been eroded by the high cost of living in the state.
“The time has come for an upward review of minimum wage in Lagos. At least someone has taken the bull by the horns and opened the space,” she declared, referencing recent wage increases in Imo and Ebonyi states.
She stressed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would not be blamed for raising the wage bar, insisting that workers deserve decent pay and improved conditions commensurate with the state’s economic reality.
Her optimism was clear: “We believe other state governments will soon follow suit once Lagos leads by example.”
The demand comes in the wake of bold moves by other governors. In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma recently announced a wage increase for civil servants from ₦76,000 to ₦104,000. Likewise, the Ebonyi government lifted its workers’ minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦90,000.
With Lagos being Nigeria’s costliest state to live in, the NLC says anything short of ₦150,000 would be a grave injustice to workers keeping the megacity alive.