The High Achievers

Imo State stands alone at the top, paying N104,000 as of October 2025 under Governor Hope Uzodimma. The state went beyond just wages, establishing a comprehensive pay structure where medical doctors earn N513,000 and entry-level lecturers receive N220,000. Following closely, Ebonyi State raised its minimum to N90,000 in August 2025, with Governor Francis Nwifuru moving workers from the federal N70,000 benchmark.

The Upper Tier States

Several states have clustered in the N80,000 to N85,000 range. Lagos approved N85,000 in October 2024 under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, though the state had already been paying a N35,000 wage award that pushed workers above N70,000 since early 2024. Rivers State, under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, began paying N85,000 from November 2024 salaries. Niger State approved N80,000 in November 2024, while Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa all settled at N80,000 during late 2024 or early 2025.

The Middle Ground

States like Ogun approved N77,000 in October 2024, while Edo moved to N75,000 under Governor Monday Okpebholo. Kebbi and Kogi both pay in the lower N70,000 range, with Kogi at N72,500 and Kaduna at N72,000. Gombe approved N71,451.15 in May 2026, covering state and local government workers. Nasarawa confirmed it was already paying N70,500 by December 2024.

The Benchmark Followers

About 14 states simply matched the federal N70,000 requirement, including Delta, Kwara, Adamawa, Anambra, Abia, Jigawa, Borno, Cross River, Yobe, Sokoto, Plateau, Ekiti, Taraba, and Bauchi. These states implemented the wage between August 2024 and April 2026, with most completing rollouts by early 2026.

The Laggards

Zamfara remains the glaring outlier, still not fully implementing the N70,000 minimum wage as of April 2026. The state government had signed a memorandum with labour unions in December 2024 with plans to begin payments in March 2025 after a workforce verification exercise, but as of the article's publication, there was no indication the wage had been fully rolled out.

What Comes Next

Rising inflation and living costs have already triggered fresh demands from labour unions pushing for wages above N100,000, signaling mounting pressure on governments as the next wage review cycle approaches under the new three-year rule. Workers in several states have already staged protests, demanding much higher wages to match the deteriorating cost of living.