WORKERS across Nigeria began an indefinite general strike yesterday to press for a higher minimum wage.

The strike shut down the national electricity grid and halted flights, with major disruption at the country’s busiest airport, Murtala Muhammed International in Lagos.

Nigerian airline Ibom Air said it was suspending flights until further notice due to the strike.

“We demand a living wage,” the Nigerian Labour Congress said on the X social media platform, describing what its members currently earn as a “starvation wage.”

It and the Trade Union Congress represent hundreds of thousands of government workers across key sectors.

Nigeria’s minimum wage stands at 30,000 naira (£15.87) per month, which the government proposes to double. But both labour federations are demanding an increase to 494,000 naira (around £261).

The unions insist that workers cannot survive on the current minimum wage and their proposals more accurately reflect the soaring cost of living.

The government, however, claims that accepting the union demands would cripple the economy.

Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi called on strikers to return to work as negotiations with the unions had not yet concluded.