The Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG) has urged the Federal Government to demonstrate the purchasing power of any new national minimum wage it may announce, saying that a higher figure on workers’ pay slips does not automatically translate into improved living standards.

The organisation, through its Civil Justice Legacy Project, yesterday launched its “October 1 Wage Watch 2026,” a public-interest initiative designed to assess any new minimum wage against workers’ cost of living, purchasing power and human dignity.

GAFAMORG, however, clarified that it was not claiming that the Federal Government would announce a new minimum wage on October 1, or that the government had any such intention.

It said that Nigerians should nevertheless begin asking questions about the basis, methodology and adequacy of any proposed wage before an announcement is made.

According to the organisation, the national conversation should not be reduced to the size of a wage announcement, but should focus on what the proposed income can actually buy.

“The announcement must not become the argument,” it said.

GAFAMORG noted that the current national minimum wage of N70,000 was established in 2024, while subsequent economic developments and statements by organised labour and other stakeholders had renewed concerns about workers’ purchasing power and the need for another review.

It said various figures had already entered public discourse, making it important for Nigerians to examine the real value of whichever figure is eventually proposed.

GAFAMORG said its living-wage test would examine several issues, including how any proposed figure was calculated, the economic data and cost-of-living assumptions used, and what the wage could actually purchase after essential expenses, such as food, transportation, housing and energy.

The organisation, which also wants Nigerians to know what mechanism will protect workers against future increases in inflation and essential costs, further called for clarity on when the next minimum wage review would take place and whether there would be a credible mechanism for regular review or indexation to relevant cost-of-living indicators.

GAFAMORG therefore urged the Federal Government to publish the methodology and economic assumptions underlying any proposed wage.