Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari signed into law a bill to increase Nigeria’s minimum wage with immediate effect, an aide confirmed on Thursday.
Ita Enang, a senior special assistant to the president on the National Assembly said that the minimum wage will rise from 18,000 naira to 30,000 naira ($98).
“The implementation of the law takes effect from today, April 18,” said Enang.
The government had previously argued that many of Nigeria’s 36 states struggle to meet existing salaries.
Unions said when launching industrial action last year that a review was needed, however, as none had been carried out in seven years.
The cost of living has become a key issue for many in Africa’s most populous nation, where most people live on less than $2 a day.
Unions went on strike last year over the minimum wage, initially demanding a rise to 50,000 naira a month.
