The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Chapter, has called for a new minimum wage of ₦150,000 for workers in the state, citing the rising cost of living and recent wage increases in Imo and Ebonyi States.
Chairperson of the Lagos NLC, Comrade Funmi Sesi, made the demand while reacting to the wage reviews announced by the two states.
She noted that Lagos workers currently earn ₦85,000 as minimum wage, which she described as insufficient given the state’s high cost of accommodation, transportation, feeding, and utilities.
“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 said.
“No one can blame Governor Sanwo-Olu now if he implements a higher wage for Lagos workers, because we deserve a better wage and decent working conditions commensurate with the economic realities, especially in Lagos.”
Sesi expressed optimism that more states would follow the examples of Imo and Ebonyi.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State recently announced an increase in the minimum wage for state civil servants from ₦76,000 to ₦104,000, while the Ebonyi Government raised its minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦90,000, according to the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe.
