Minimum wage for teachers remains unpaid in nine states, months after Buhari signed the N70,000 bill. NUT urges prompt action to protect education quality

Minimum wage for teachers remains unpaid in nine Nigerian states, months after it was officially signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

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Despite President Bola Tinubu enacting the N70,000 minimum wage bill on 29 July 2024, teachers in Abia, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Yobe, and Zamfara are yet to benefit.

According to fresh data from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the delay is frustrating thousands of educators, especially those under local government employment.

In October 2024, it was revealed that 12 states were still paying the outdated N18,000 wage, ignoring both the N30,000 policy by Buhari and the newly approved N70,000.

“Let the minimum wage reach all workers so everyone will feel a part of it. It is unfair for those not getting the higher wage,” said NUT President, Titus Amba. “It will affect the balance of education delivery.”

In Enugu State, although an extra N50,000 was added to salaries as an enhanced wage award, the official minimum wage for teachers has not been adopted.

Kaduna cited ongoing teacher verification as a reason for delay, while the FCT recently ended a 100-day strike after area councils agreed to slash internal revenue to meet salary demands.

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The NUT has called for immediate compliance, urging all states to honour the wage law and ensure it reaches every teacher, regardless of level.