Publication Details
Abstract
Minimum wage is the list amount or wage an employee receives from an employer of labour as legally agreed and accepted by the two parties. Minimum wage is an important policy tool aimed at ensuring that workers receive fair wage for their work and helping them achieve self-sufficiency in their workplaces. This paper explores the beneficial imperatives of increased minimum wage for Nigerian workers and Nigerian public/civil service. The paper adopts qualitative research design as it relies on secondary sources of data collection. Information was sourced from published books, journal articles, conference papers, and internet source in relation to the trust of the paper. The paper adopts Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory as the theoretical framework. The paper concludes that, every worker is entitled to his/her wages as agreed in terms of employment. But, when there is high rate of inflation in a given society, there is need for the wages of the workers to be increased in order for them to strive for their basic needs. So, for increased productivity and reducing employee turnover and industrial actions in Nigeria public/civil service, there is need for increased minimum wage. The paper recommends among others that, governments at all levels in Nigeria should ensure that the minimum wage is reviewed and adjusted to a sustainable minimum wage. By doing so, workers will be motivated to put in extra effort in performing their duties, which serves as a panacea for increased productivity and an improved public/civil service in Nigeria.