Nigeria Increases Govt’s Workers Salary By 35pc

Nigeria on Tuesday raised salaries for government workers by between 25% and 35%, backdated to January, the salaries commission said, as Africa’s biggest economy grapples with its worst cost of living crisis in nearly three decades.

The lowest-paid government employee will earn 450,000 naira ($323.97) a year or 37,500 monthly, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission said in a statement.

The increase covers all federal government employees, including those in the health, education and security sectors.

The government is separately negotiating with labour unions on a new national monthly minimum wage, which was last reviewed in 2019.

Nigerians are facing inflation of 33.20%, the highest in 28 years, after the government removed a popular petrol subsidy and foreign currency controls, which weakened the naira currency.

The country’s electricity regulator this month hiked tariffs for some consumers as the government tries to wean the economy from subsidies to ease pressure on public finances.