20 States Yet To Implement ₦70,000 Minimum Wage For Local Government Workers – NULGE President

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Haruna Kankara, has revealed that about 20 states have yet to implement the newly signed ₦70,000 minimum wage for local government workers and primary school teachers.

Speaking to Punch on Sunday, Kankara stated that the affected states include Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Imo, Ebonyi, Cross River, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, among others. He expressed concerns over the lack of progress in these regions, despite the law’s enactment.

Kankara explained that following the signing of the Minimum Wage Act, 2024, about 20 states began the implementation of the new wage law, but several others have yet to comply.

“We truly have the challenge of so many states, about 20, that have not started implementing the new minimum wage.

“Some states have begun paying state workers but have left out local government workers and primary school teachers. We continue to engage and plead with them to do the needful for these workers,” he said.

Kankara also highlighted that some states had promised to implement the new wage but failed to deliver on their commitments. However, he remained optimistic that the issue would be resolved soon.

In addition to the minimum wage issue, Kankara also spoke on the challenges faced by ex-militants in the Niger Delta, urging both state and federal governments to ensure that the Host Community Development Trust is fully implemented.

Meanwhile, in Kwara State, where the ₦70,000 minimum wage was implemented for state workers in October 2024, local government employees have raised concerns about the high taxes deducted from their salaries.

The NULGE President for Kwara State, Seun Oyinlade, revealed that although the new wage was implemented, the tax burden had significantly reduced workers’ take-home pay.

He added that the state government had provided a temporary tax relief for workers, which expired in December 2024. “The government only gave the workers three months of tax relief, which ended in December,” Oyinlade said.

In Sokoto, teachers confirmed the successful implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage for local government workers.

A teacher in Sokoto, Abdullahi Umar who spoke with Punch shared that the workers had been receiving the new wages since January, though there had been delays due to FAAC allocations.

Similarly, in the FCT, teachers have continued to protest the non-implementation of the new wage. On March 24, 2025, teachers in the FCT embarked on their fourth strike in just four months, citing the lack of the ₦70,000 minimum wage in the FCT’s primary schools.

The teachers’ strike disrupted second-term examinations across the six area councils. The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) issued a statement expressing disappointment with the authorities for failing to implement the new wage.

The union criticized the local councils for paying teachers without considering the new minimum wage and demanding immediate action.

In a strongly worded communiqué, the NUT demanded the immediate payment of arrears, the full implementation of the new wage, and a resolution of allowances, including a 40 percent peculiar allowance. The union also called for additional salary increases to alleviate the financial difficulties faced by teachers.

The Secretary-General of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Mohammed Abubakar, shared concerns with Punch regarding the financial difficulties local governments are facing.

He revealed that state commissioners of finance were hindering direct payments to councils, exacerbating the financial struggles of the local governments.