2027: Presidential Candidate Vows To Abolish Minimum Wage

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Chibuzo Okereke, has vowed to scrap the minimum wage system in Nigeria if elected to office.

He argued that workers deserve a living wage, not a straitjacketed minimum wage.

According to the presidential candidate, workers’ welfare must include decent pay, housing, healthcare, food security, job security, social protection and a safe working environment.

Naija News reports that Okorere who made his views known during an interview with Nigerian Tribune, said the present system of negotiating minimum wages every few years was inadequate because the cost of living could change rapidly between wage reviews.

Apart from the wage review, he promised to ensure “equal opportunity, functional social welfare and a fair reward system” for Nigerian workers.

He argued that wages should be able to respond to rising cost of living.

“If somebody bought this phone for ₦20,000 today and tomorrow the phone is ₦50,000, already the cost of things is rising. There should be different ways to make consequential adjustments,” the LP candidate said.

He added that the government must also ensure it addresses issues affecting workers such as housing, healthcare, education and food.

On what he considered the greatest challenge facing Nigerian workers, Okereke identified the overall condition of service, rather than wages alone.

“I think it is the condition of service. It is all put together, everything, plus the condition of service,” he said.

He argued that workers must have access to fair promotion, training opportunities, gratuity, pension, and healthcare, adding that workers’ welfare should not be treated as charity.

“We will demand productivity, quality, service and value for money. But we should be able to create miracles in the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

According to him, public service should become attractive again by guaranteeing workers their legitimate benefits and providing functional health support.

The LP candidate also promised to redesign how subsidies are administered, saying his government would focus on directly supporting citizens rather than subsidising systems that vested interests could capture.

“I have said I will subsidise the people, not the system. I have said it. I will subsidise our people because they need support to get ahead and thrive,” he said.