Keyamo Says N70,000 Wage No Longer Enough for Nigerian Workers

(Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo. Photo by Arise News)

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has told the Federal Government that Nigerian workers cannot survive on the current N70,000 minimum wage given the mounting economic pressures squeezing household budgets.

He called for the government to compromise with organised labour in ongoing wage negotiations.

Speaking at the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit, Keyamo said the cost of living has wiped out workers' buying power and made raising wages unavoidable.

Unions are pushing for N500,000, he noted, recalling how the previous wage increase from N30,000 to N70,000 in 2024 came after similar discussions.

Even the current rate remains too low to cushion workers against the economic shocks they face.

Keyamo also took aim at how some government agencies treat their staff.

Employees are denied basic allowances while senior officials sign off on hefty sums for foreign travel.

He said workers are the backbone of any nation and without them nothing functions.

Machines and resources mean nothing without the human effort behind them.