• Labour seeks policy review to tackle poverty
• Nobody on N70,000 salary works five days a week, says NLC President

Nigerian workers have lost at least 25 per cent of their real income in the past year as the general price crisis and rising cost of living continue to deplete the value of their wages, raising concerns about the survival of low-income employees.

Adjusted for inflation, the N70,000, the wage floor would have lost about N17,000 of its real value by July (a year after it was signed) supposing the inflation rate remains at its current speed – 24 per cent. This leaves a worker on a minimum wage with N53,000 in real terms to take care of their basic needs.

The high inflation rate raises major concern even with the labour leaders, who fought hard to get a decent minimum wage lamenting that the current salary structure takes public workers to offices every working day of the moment.

Already, public workers who have been pushed to the edge are adopting different strategies to reduce the burden of transportation, including workday rationing. There are fears the trend could further drain the productivity of public workers, who are poorly equipped to work virtually.

But the cost-of-living crisis is much deeper. In nominal terms, 70,000 is over 100 per cent higher than 30,000. But in real terms, N30,000 as of 2018, when it was set at the national monthly wage floor, was more valuable than 70,000 as it is today.

In 2018, the average price of a medium-sized dozen eggs sold for about N494.43.

Today, a crate of the same eggs costs N6,000. That means N70,000 can only buy 11.6 crates of eggs while N30,000 at an average cost of N500 could buy 60 crates.

Supposing a minimum wage earner consumes only eggs, he would need N360,000 to get the same quantity of eggs N18,000 minimum wage would buy in 2018 (seven years ago). With less protein, which eggs provide, children raised today could suffer poor protein intake, which could compromise their future productivity.

A substantial increase in food spending in the proportion of household income that goes into food because of high prices of consumables, less money would be left for investment in education and health – the two most critical factors that determine the long-term productivity level of a country.

In 2018 also, the average price of one kilogramme of tomatoes was N271. The same quantity is worth more than N5,000 today. That means one would need to increase one’s income 18 times in the past seven years to retain the same level of welfare if that is measured by the consumption of tomatoes only. However, the nominal minimum wage has only increased by 133 per cent.

One kilogramme of imported rice was N360 in 2018 now costing N1,640 which is more than a 500 per cent increase.

The average price of one kilogramme of yam tuber was N250 in 2018. But it now costs more than N3,000 or a 1,100 per cent increase.

Also, the yearly rent of one-bedroom in Lagos downtown was about 200,000 in 2018. A young single employee will need to raise the budget by fourfold to at least N800,000 to pay for the same apartment.

These show how much naira has lost its value. It also underscores the paradox of higher pay, which the new minimum wage represents.

The undercurrent of the fast-depreciating value of the naira and everything that it represents in terms of purchasing power will dominate speeches at May Day rallies across the country today as the country joins the rest of the world to mark May Day.

Giving a snippet into what labour May Day speeches, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, lamented the inadequacy of N70,000 minimum wage when he said workers no longer go to work for five days in a week.

He argued that N70,000 is not enough to transport workers to work for 24 days in a month while speaking at the 6th National Gender Conference organised by the NLC National Women Commission in Abuja.

He decried the impact of rising school fees, house rent, transport fare, food and medicine, saying the trend portends danger for Nigerian workers.

Indeed, the agitations had begun ahead of the Workers’ Day. The immediate past Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Dr Tommy Okon, said there is a need for the economic managers to review their economic policies, stating that going by the poverty index, vis-a-vis inflationary trend and high cost of living, there is no way one could justify that current policies give workers any hope.

He said even though the policies have a gestation period, for two years now, workers are still submerged in poverty.

He said it is the right time for the government to take a critical assessment of the effectiveness of the policies as workers are not better off.

According to him, the government should declare a state of emergency on insecurity, noting that a minimum wage of N70,000 is eroded by inflation.

“It boils down to how government fails in taking the citizens into policy formulation and implementation. Workers are not better off, looking at the high cost of foodstuff. Farmers cannot go to the farm due to insecurity in the land. Families are looking at how they can survive the next day.

“Government should take a critical look and declare a state of emergency on insecurity because once there is security, people can go to their farms and have time to harvest their products, but that is not the case this time; it is a very serious matter.

“Security plays a critical role, no matter the kind of policies and interventions you put in place. The government needs to think outside the box. You cannot continue to do the same thing and expect the same result. The government needs to walk the talk. How can insurgence finish a whole community and no arrest?”

Also, the Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, said there is increasing poverty as the number of working poor has increased both in the formal and informal sectors, with a heightened fear of insecurity.

“The worst for us is that the government has not shown any sign of abetting because the leaders are saying that they do not have any clue on what to do. That is the most fearful thing. The thing is not showing any sign of abetting. If it shows any sign of abetting, we will say okay, there is hope,” he said.

He said that this has pushed the nation to live in uncertainty.

“And when there is uncertainty in the lives of the people, you can’t work freely. If you work with fear, you are not going to succeed. Your productivity will become a problem. So generally, our lives have not become better,” he said.

Similarly, Lagos State Council Chairman of the NLC, Funmi Sessi, expressed deep concern over the rising cost of living, deteriorating public services and the lack of effective government action to address the situation.

“This year, we have witnessed hardship in the civic space like never before. Are we talking about accommodation, transportation, healthcare, education, or even feeding? Prices keep rising, and nothing is being done to ease the pain,” she said.

Sessi did not spare past leaders, saying successive administrations have eroded Nigeria’s pride through years of maladministration, saying: “We have been stripped of our glory as a nation.”

She called on leaders at all levels – federal, state and local – to recognise the urgency of the situation.

“The suffering is too much. Nigerians are groaning. Workers are tired. Government must do the needful—intervene with immediate and practical policies that will impact lives positively,” she said.

Beyond government responsibility, Sessi also challenged citizens to be part of the solution.

She urged Nigerians to support one another, contribute to national development, and take ownership of security in their communities, adding: “A tree cannot make a forest. We all have a role to play. When we give our best at work, when we create wealth, when we train our children well, we are helping this country. Security is not just the government’s job – it is everyone’s responsibility.”

Also, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, spoke on what the organised private sector of Nigeria (OPSN) is doing to save jobs and to keep the economy moving.

However, he urged that while they are hopeful that the government would fulfil its promises to the private sector through interventions to save jobs, workers should keep productivity optimal for enterprise sustainability.

“While the manufacturers keep producing and there are no buyers due to weak purchasing power, he will stop producing and the outcome would fall on the workers through downsizing to meet up, creating an endangered workforce. Our focus is on enterprise sustainability. Manufacturers keep recording losses daily due to unsold goods.

“While we are doing our best to help workers escape poverty, we urged the workers on productivity for enterprise sustainability,” he said.

Another labour leader and former Deputy National President of the TUC, Oyinkan Olasanoye, said there is a need for social welfare for the citizens.