Nigeria’s Real Wage Battle Is About Purchasing Power, Not Just Higher Salaries

I believe Nigeria is fighting the wrong battle when we focus only on increasing salaries. A bigger pay cheque means little if food, rent, transport and electricity keep becoming more expensive. Government revenue ultimately comes from citizens through taxes, levies, tariffs and other charges. If wages rise without lower living costs and stronger productivity, prices may simply rise again. A worker earning ₦150,000 will still struggle if rice, rent and transport costs rise at the same pace. Labour, the TUC and civil society should push harder for affordable food, secure farms, reliable electricity, mass transit and low-cost housing. These are the things that make income go further for ordinary Nigerians. The real measure of worker welfare is not the amount written on a payslip. It is how much that money can actually buy.

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