Nine States Yet To Pay Teachers ₦70,000 Minimum Wage

Nine states have yet to implement the ₦70,000 minimum wage for public primary school teachers, several months after President Bola Tinubu signed the new wage law on July 29, 2024. According to the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the non-compliant states are Abia, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Yobe, and Zamfara.

In some of these states, teachers are still earning below the ₦30,000 minimum wage introduced in 2019, reflecting ongoing salary disputes and financial delays. The failure to adopt the new wage has caused growing discontent among educators.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), teachers recently ended a 100-day strike after local authorities agreed to implement the updated salary structure.

NUT President Titus Amba has called on the affected states to act swiftly, stating that paying outdated wages is unjust and risks undermining the quality of education nationwide.

Further reports indicate that about 20 states have yet to apply the ₦70,000 minimum wage to both local government workers and primary school teachers, despite federal approval aimed at easing economic hardship and inflation.

Some of the nine states had also failed to fully implement the previous ₦30,000 wage, underscoring persistent administrative and financial challenges.

The NUT continues to urge all levels of government to prioritize full implementation of the new minimum wage to support education sector stability and progress.