African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has described his proposed N500,000 minimum wage as inadequate for Nigerian workers, insisting that the current N70,000 wage cannot realistically sustain a worker amid the country’s high cost of living.

Sowore made the remarks on Friday while appearing as a guest on Rapid FM in Rivers State.

The 2027 presidential flag-bearer was responding to a question on whether increasing the minimum wage to N500,000 could worsen inflation by putting more money into circulation without a corresponding rise in productivity.

He dismissed the argument, maintaining that Nigeria’s inflation is driven primarily by the high cost of production rather than workers receiving higher wages.

“There’s nobody technically, or realistically, that can live on N70,000 a month, even a newborn baby,” Sowore said.

According to him, his proposed N500,000 wage should be viewed as a minimum amount required to enable workers meet basic living expenses, rather than an excessive demand.

“Even the N500,000 I’m proposing, in my view, it’s too small. But just for the sake of argument, say, okay, let’s pay people just enough to be able to make a living. That’s what the proposal is about,” he said.

Sowore attributed the persistent rise in prices to what he described as “cost-push inflation”, citing increased electricity tariffs, transportation costs, imported goods and other production inputs.

He argued that the removal of the petrol subsidy had sharply increased transportation costs, which subsequently affected the prices of goods and services across the economy.

“It is caused by transportation cost. As a result of the removal of fuel subsidy, wherever you were going for N500 before, it became N2,000. That’s the cost of your inflation,” he said.

He also blamed the depreciation of the naira following the Federal Government’s currency reforms, saying the country’s dependence on imports had further increased the cost of goods.

“When they just came and floated the naira, at the same time they removed subsidy. That’s the cause of inflation,” Sowore said.

The AAC candidate argued that tackling inflation would require reducing the cost of production rather than keeping workers’ wages low.

He called for lower electricity tariffs, a reduction in transportation costs and measures to make local production more competitive.

“If you want to change the direction of that inflation, you have to deal with this. You have to reduce electricity tariff. You have to bring back fuel subsidy. That would then force down the cost of transportation and reduce the cost of production,” he said.

Sowore illustrated his position with the agricultural sector, arguing that excessive production costs could eventually make it cheaper to import basic food commodities than produce them locally.

He said Nigeria’s high energy and transportation costs were undermining local businesses and making domestic production increasingly uncompetitive.

The presidential candidate also rejected the argument that higher wages should be tied primarily to workers’ productivity.

According to him, employers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees perform their duties efficiently, while workers should receive adequate compensation for the labour they provide.

“The argument as to whether the civil servants are doing work or not is not the argument we are having. That one is regulatory. That is the job of the supervisor,” he said.

Sowore further questioned the disparity between the earnings and benefits of ordinary workers and the resources allocated to political office holders.

He criticised what he described as excessive government spending on official convoys, security votes and other privileges, arguing that reducing such expenditures could free up resources to improve workers’ welfare.

“What has the Nigerian worker done wrong to you that you cannot take a little bit now?” he asked.

Sowore said the practicality of the N500,000 proposal could be understood by considering the daily cost of food and transportation.

He noted that a worker spending N1,500 daily on three meals would already spend N45,000 in a month, leaving only N25,000 from the current N70,000 minimum wage for transportation, accommodation, clothing and other necessities.

“Multiply N1,500 by 30 days in a month. Are we not already past N70,000? Are you not going to transport yourself? Are you not going to wash your clothes?” he asked.

He maintained that workers require an income capable of covering basic necessities and enabling them to get to and remain productive at work.

Sowore also questioned the necessity of extensive security arrangements and convoys for political office holders, arguing that public funds spent on such privileges could instead be redirected towards workers and essential public services.

“We waste so much money,” he said.
He insisted that the debate should not be limited to whether government or employers can afford N500,000 minimum wage, but should also consider the spending priorities of government.

According to him, cutting unnecessary government expenditure and redistributing available resources could improve workers’ earnings without necessarily fuelling inflation.

“The moment you have that contract, you must ensure that their living conditions are at least able to support their motivation or their ability to get to work and back,” Sowore said.