GAFAMORG Launches October 1 Wage Watch, Challenges FG to Show What New Wage Can Buy
LAGOS, September 17, 2026
The Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organization (GAFAMORG), through its Civil Justice Legacy Project, has launched the “October 1 Wage Watch 2026”, a public interest initiative focused on the purchasing power and living standards of Nigerian workers amid renewed discussions over the national minimum wage.
The organisation said the initiative would assess any future minimum wage announcement not merely by the nominal amount, but by what the wage can actually purchase in terms of food, transportation, housing, energy, healthcare and other essential needs.
GAFAMORG stressed that it was not claiming that the Federal Government would announce a new minimum wage on October 1, nor was it making any allegation about the government's intentions.
Rather, the organisation said Nigerians should begin examining the basis and adequacy of any proposed wage before an announcement is made. “The announcement must not become the argument,” GAFAMORG said.
The organisation recalled that the current ₦70,000 national minimum wage was established in 2024, while subsequent economic developments and concerns expressed by organised labour and other stakeholders have renewed debate over workers' purchasing power and the need for another wage review.
According to GAFAMORG, various figures have already featured in public discussions, but the central issue should remain the real value of whatever figure is eventually adopted “A larger figure on a payslip does not automatically mean a living wage,” the organisation stated.
GAFAMORG Sets Out Living Wage Test
As part of its initiative, GAFAMORG said any proposed new minimum wage should be subjected to a transparent Living Wage Test.
Among the questions it wants addressed are how the proposed figure was calculated, the economic data and cost of living assumptions used, and what the wage would actually purchase after essential expenses such as food, transportation, housing and energy.
The organisation also wants Nigerians to examine what mechanism would protect workers against further increases in inflation and essential living costs, who participated in determining the wage and how transparent the negotiation process was.
It further called for clarity on when the next wage review would take place and whether there would be a credible mechanism for regular review or indexation against relevant cost of living indicators.
GAFAMORG urged the Federal Government to make the methodology and economic assumptions behind any proposed wage publicly available. “Show Nigerians the calculation. Do not merely announce the conclusion,” it said.
Labour Urged to Keep Workers at the Centre
The organisation also called on organised labour to ensure that Nigerian workers remain central participants in negotiations concerning wages and their economic welfare.
It argued that the wage debate should go beyond the question of what government can afford and examine what workers require to maintain a decent standard of living. “The central question should not be merely how much government can afford to give. It must also be what a Nigerian worker needs to live with dignity,” GAFAMORG said.
‘What Can It Buy?’
GAFAMORG also appealed to Nigerians to avoid turning the wage debate into a partisan political contest. It said that regardless of whether the eventual figure is ₦100,000, ₦150,000, ₦200,000, ₦300,000 or another amount, citizens should apply the same basic question: What can it buy?
The organisation said its October 1 Wage Watch 2026 would monitor developments, examine publicly available evidence and provide an independent assessment of any new minimum wage announcement using its proposed Living-Wage Test. “We are not against a wage increase. We are against the idea that the size of an announcement should end the national conversation,” it said.
GAFAMORG concluded that while government may determine and announce the wage, Nigerians should examine whether the resulting income meets the practical test of a living wage. “The government may announce the wage. Nigerians must examine whether it is a living wage.”
The organisation added: “A higher number is not automatically a higher standard of living.”
The statement was signed by Comrade Babatunde Agunbiade, Chairman, Governing Council, and Comrade Ade Adewunmi Adeoye, PRO, on behalf of the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organization (GAFAMORG), Civil Justice Legacy Project.
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