Atiku Abubakar Advocates for Minimum Wage Increase

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has expressed strong support for organized labor's call for a significant increase in the minimum wage. He criticized President Bola Tinubu for overseeing an economic situation where workers receive higher wages on paper but struggle to make ends meet.

In a statement from Phrank Shaibu, the Director of Strategic Communications for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku accused Tinubu of exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis by removing the petrol subsidy without adequate protections for families. He highlighted that the current minimum wage of ₦70,000 is insufficient, as it only allows workers to purchase 50 liters of petrol at ₦1,400 per liter, compared to 118 liters at the previous price of ₦254.06 per liter.

Atiku noted that Nigeria's minimum wage is significantly lower than those of other oil-producing nations, emphasizing that the Nigerian worker deserves better compensation for their labor.