The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has said life has become increasingly difficult for Nigerians under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that the N70,000 minimum wage can buy only 50 litres of petrol at N1,400 per litre.
He disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku lamented that the cost of living had risen sharply under the Tinubu administration without a corresponding increase in wages for Nigerian workers.
He stressed that when the country’s minimum wage was N30,000, it could buy roughly 118 litres of petrol, while the current minimum wage of N70,000 can buy only 50 litres.
While acknowledging that minimum wages differ across countries, Atiku said Nigerian workers earn less than their counterparts in other oil-producing African countries, including Libya, Algeria and the Republic of Benin.
“At N1,400 a litre, the entire N70,000 monthly minimum wage buys just 50 litres of petrol. What does the worker take home to feed the children? What pays the rent? What gets that worker back to work on Monday?”
“The payslip has grown, but the fuel it can buy has more than halved. Tinubu has given workers a larger number and left them with a smaller life,” he stated.
DAILY POST reports that civil servants had proposed a N500,000 minimum wage or a N500-per-litre petrol price.
Meanwhile, the Tinubu administration has maintained that the N70,000 minimum wage can no longer meet workers’ needs, with the government proposing an upward review.
