Nigeria's Minimum Wage: What the Law Actually Says
The figure is widely known. The exemptions are not — and they exclude a large share of the people who most need the protection.
Nigeria's national minimum wage is ₦70,000 per month, set by the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024, signed on 29 July 2024. It replaced the ₦30,000 figure set by the 2019 Act.
What the Act changed
Two things, beyond the headline number.
The figure more than doubled, from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
The review cycle shortened from five years to three. Under the 2019 Act the wage was reviewable every five years; the 2024 Act cut that to three. The next statutory review therefore falls due in 2027.
That second change matters more than it appears. A five-year cycle in a high-inflation economy means the real value of the wage erodes substantially between reviews. A three-year cycle limits the damage, though it does not eliminate it.
Who it covers, and who it does not
This is the part most coverage skips.
The minimum wage applies to establishments with 25 or more employees.
The following are exempt:
- Employers with fewer than 25 employees
- Part-time workers
- Workers paid on commission or on a piece-rate basis
- Seasonal workers, including agricultural harvest workers
- Employers in merchant shipping and civil aviation
The practical effect is significant. A large share of Nigerian employment is in small businesses below the 25-employee threshold, in seasonal agricultural work, or in commission-based trade. None of it is covered by the statutory minimum.
For northern Nigeria specifically, where agricultural and informal employment dominate, the proportion of workers actually protected by the national minimum wage is a good deal smaller than the national conversation implies.
What has happened since
In June 2026, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said government would reassess the ₦70,000 figure against current realities. The Nigeria Labour Congress has pushed for an early review rather than waiting for 2027.
As at September 2026, no new figure has been agreed or legislated. ₦70,000 remains the statutory minimum.
How states handle it
The national minimum wage is a floor, not a ceiling. States may pay above it, and several do. States may not lawfully pay below it for covered employees.
Implementation has been uneven. Agreement on a national figure does not automatically translate into payment at state level, and disputes over implementation, consequential adjustments to higher salary grades, and arrears have been a recurring feature of state-level industrial relations since 2024.
The argument, stated fairly
For a higher minimum: the real value of ₦70,000 has been eroded substantially by inflation since July 2024. Against food inflation running at 19.57% in August 2026, a wage fixed in nominal terms loses purchasing power every month it stands still.
Against: a minimum wage is only meaningful if employers can pay it. Where a state government or a small business cannot, the outcomes are arrears, redundancies, or a shift of employment into the informal sector where no minimum applies at all. Several state governments struggled to implement the ₦30,000 figure before the 2024 increase.
Both positions are held sincerely by people who have thought about it. The disagreement is empirical — about how much employment responds to the wage floor — and the Nigerian evidence is thin.
Frequently asked questions
Is ₦70,000 a monthly or annual figure? Monthly.
Does it apply to domestic workers? Only if the employer has 25 or more employees, which is rare in domestic employment.
When is the next review? The statutory cycle puts it in 2027. Government has indicated it may look at it sooner, but nothing has been legislated.
Does it apply to NYSC corps members? No. Corps members receive a monthly allowance set separately by the federal government, currently ₦77,000.
Sources
- The 2024 Act and its terms — Nairametrics
- Coverage, exemptions and review cycle — M.J. Numa & Partners
- Government signals a reassessment, June 2026 — Vanguard