I was partially wrong and I take my words partially back.
First of all, there are countries where the minimum wage is close or just the same as the living wage. This means that a person who occupies the lowest tier in a professional setting can still live a decent life without relying on external support. The UK for example is one of those countries, and the US is not so far off.
Yes, there are people who work multiple jobs to make ends meet, but the truth is those people are not just supporting themselves. They have families or dependents that they must care for. These people can also need money for other expenses other than paying bills and providing a roof over their heads. However, this particular situation still doesn’t negate the fact that with minimum wage a person can live decently. Deciding to fall below the poverty line by expanding your family is a personal choice that the individual should account for.
In Nigeria, the minimum wage is definitely not close to the living wage. I believe I posted about my visit to Nigeria in 2018. My friend told me that N200K would not be enough to sustain me for two weeks. Two weeks in which I didn’t have to pay for accommodation, bills, food, and transport. One visit to ShopRite and N40K was gone. That is how expensive the country is.
I am one person who does a lot of research on finances and money management and one thing I have learnt is that if you cannot rent a decent place to live with 30% of your gross income (in Nigeria this would be your annual income since rent are paid annually), then you are definitely not earning a living wage.
Secondly, in Nigeria, there are no laws that regulate salaries and professional tiers.
For example, a graduate in the UK should not be earning less than £25K a year in a start-up white-collar position. Before it was £21K, but in recent years wages have increased and keep increasing.
When I arrived in the UK in 2013, the minimum wage was £6.31. Today it’s £8.25 or thereabout.
In Nigeria, a graduate who works a white-collar job can be earning as low as N50K. I’m talking about a person who spent 6 years in a university like lawyers, and there are no laws to lean on.
In conclusion, a person who makes £18K a year in the UK or $15K in the US is still faring a lot better than someone who earns N30K in Nigeria. Graduates too fare a lot better.
You deserve to live and work in a country where your dignity as a person and qualifications as a worker are respected. And unfortunately, Nigeria is not one of those countries.
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