Minimum wage: MTEF shows Tinubu's govt will spend N6.5tn in 2025

• The federal government has hinted that spending on personnel costs will increase by at least 60 percent in 2025
• According to FG, this is due to the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments for all cadres of the federal civil service
• N4.1tn was budgeted as personnel expenditures in the 2024 budget; hence, a 60 percent increase means an additional N2.46tn, for a total sum of N6.56tn; this includes the payment of the new minimum wage and other govt spending

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced that personnel expenditure will rise by at least 60% in 2025 due to the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustments for civil servants.

New minimum wage payment included in Tinubu’s FG N6.5 trillion budget. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria Labour Congress HQ
Source: Facebook

FG projects 60% increase in personnel cost for 2025

With N4.1 trillion allocated for personnel costs in the 2024 budget, the 60% increase translates into an additional N2.46 trillion, bringing the total to an estimated N6.56 trillion in the 2025 budget.

This information was contained in the newly released 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which The Punch newspaper obtained on Sunday, November 17.

The document approved by the Federal Executive Council (FCE) last Thursday facilitates the alignment of policy objectives with the available financial resources.

Legit.ng reported that in July 2024, President Tinubu signed the new minimum wage bill into law, further confirming his approval of an increase from N30,000 to N70,000 for Nigerian workers.

The new law is reviewable every three years as part of the agreement reached with organised labour.

In recent days, findings revealed that federal workers have started receiving the new wage.

2025 budget: MTEF report gives breakdown of FG's personnel cost

However, in the MTEF report, the government said N2.67tn, representing 65 percent of the N4.10tn appropriated in the 2024 budget, has been disbursed as of August.

It further envisioned that personnel cost expenditure will increase by 60 percent next year.

The report read:

“The 2025 FGN personnel cost expenditure is expected to increase significantly to align with the updated National Minimum Wage.“The personnel cost for FY2023 was N3.83tn. As of July, the figure for FY2024 is N2.67tn, 65 per cent of the N4.10tn appropriated in the 2024 Budget. For 2025, the personnel cost is projected to increase by about 60 per cent due to adjustments in minimum wage and consequential adjustments, which will directly impact employees’ salaries.”

Good news for workers

Legt.ng understands that the projected personnel expenditure for 2025 that rose to N6.56 trillion will favour Nigerian workers as part of the funds is meant for the payment of the new minimum wage.

Read more on minimum wage:

• New minimum wage: 20 states begin payment to workers - report
• N70k minimum wage: Jigawa governor suspends top aide over unauthorised statement

Rhodes-Vivour insists “N85k not enough for Lagos workers

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Lagos-based Labour Party chieftain Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour criticised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's government over the N85,000 minimum wage.

Rhodes-Vivour insisted that the amount would not make a difference in the lives of Lagos state workers, considering the current economic situation.

In a post shared on his X page, the LP governorship candidate suggested that N100,000 would suffice in this difficult time.

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Source: Legit.ng