Organised labour in Ondo State, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate unions, has demanded a new minimum wage of N256,950 for workers in the state, insisting that the current N73,000 wage no longer reflects economic realities.
In a letter to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dated September 19, 2025, and cited by The Guardian, the unions also called for an upward review of pension benefits for retirees. The letter was jointly signed by the state NLC chairman, Comrade Ademola Olapade, and secretary, Comrade Akin Sunday.
The unions argued that soaring inflation, the removal of the fuel subsidy, and “skyrocketing costs of food, transportation, housing, and healthcare” have eroded workers’ earnings. They also urged the governor to immediately set up a negotiation committee of government officials and labour representatives to discuss the wage structure.
The NLC maintained that Ondo, as an oil-producing state, is financially capable of meeting the demand, pointing to recent increases in federal allocations and internally generated revenue. They also reminded the governor of his earlier promise to review workers’ welfare whenever the state’s revenue improved.
The letter read in part: “Your Excellency, it is no longer news that the Nigerian economy has been severely battered by inflation, currency devaluation, the removal of fuel subsidies, and skyrocketing costs of food, housing, transportation, and healthcare. These factors have eroded the value of wages and left the average worker and pensioner in a state of perpetual economic suffocation.”
The NLC added that while Imo State, a non-oil-producing state recently approved and began paying a minimum wage of N104,000, Ondo should not lag behind.
“Despite this, Ondo State, as an oil-producing state, has continued to experience a tremendous increase in its internally generated revenue (IGR) and particularly federal allocations, due to the improved oil earnings, favourable market conditions, and subsidy funds. It is only just and reasonable that Ondo State, which is blessed with oil wealth and resource potential, does not lag behind but instead leads in setting progressive standards for others to emulate,” the letter added.
The unions further stressed: “Workers are the engine of governance and economic productivity, and pensioners are citizens who had served with loyalty during their better years and deserve to live the remainder of their lives with dignity.”
Concluding, they demanded: “In light of the above, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Ondo State Council and its affiliate unions are formally demanding the immediate upward review of the minimum wage for Ondo State workers to the sum of N256,950. This figure will form a realistic reflection of the current economic indices and the prevailing cost of survival for an average worker.
“Governance must not only be about policies and projects but also about people’s welfare and ability to live dignified lives. A government that pays its workers and pensioners a just wage is a government that honours the social contract it holds with its people.”
