NECA To State Governments - You Have No Excuse Not Paying Above N70,000 Minimum To Workers

Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says state governments have no excuse not to pay civil servants above the ₦70,000 minimum wage, considering the rising cost of living in the country and the adverse impact on Nigerians

The Director General of NECA, Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde, who stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief monitored by Edu-biznews on Tuesday, said the increased inflow of revenue from the Federal Account had reduced the argument about the inability of some states to pay ₦70,000.

However, some state governors increased the minimum wage for civil servants in their respective states.

It will be recalled that some of the governors including Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State on August 27, 2025 approved an increase in the minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦104,000 to improve the welfare of workers in the state and his counter part in Ebonyi State twenty -four later announced a new minimum wage of ₦90,000 with immediate effect for all civil and public servants, an increase of ₦20,000 from the previous wage of ₦70,000.

In October 2024, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the state would pay ₦85,000 as minimum wage to its workers, ₦15,000 higher than the ₦70,000 approved by the Federal Government in July 2024.

Similarly, the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Bayelsa state governments announced that they would pay a new minimum wage of ₦80,000 for state government employees.

In November 2024, the Osun State Government approved ₦75,000 as the minimum wage for its workers.