In an unusually candid admission from inside the Cabinet, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has declared that the ₦70,000 national minimum wage is no longer sufficient to cushion Nigerian workers against relentless economic pressures.
Speaking at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit in Abuja, Keyamo conceded that the purchasing power of the current statutory benchmark—negotiated up from ₦30,000 in 2024—has been severely eroded by the skyrocketing cost of living. Keyamo, who previously served as Minister of State for Labour, urged the Federal Government to meet organized labour halfway as unions push for higher compensation to survive food and fuel inflation.
The minister did not hold back, taking aim at institutional double standards where junior workers are denied basic allowances while senior officials effortlessly approve lavish funds for foreign trips. “I will have none of it. Without these workers, we will not have a country,” Keyamo barked, reminding agency heads that human resources—not fancy machinery—drive national productivity.
Echoing Keyamo’s remarks, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero stressed that wage discussions must center on actual purchasing power rather than hollow figures, calling for automatic wage indexing tied directly to inflation trends. With conversations heating up ahead of the next formal review cycle, Keyamo’s rare openness has added massive momentum to the public demand for real economic relief.
Do you agree with Festus Keyamo that ₦70,000 has completely lost its value, or should the focus be on bringing down commodity prices? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
