The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has promised to introduce a N500,000 monthly living minimum wage for Nigerian workers if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
The activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters also said his party would provide 24-hour electricity, make education free and accessible at all levels, construct one million public mixed-income homes and reform tenancy laws to reduce the burden of advance rent payments.
Sowore made the promise in an interview with Independent, published on Sunday, while outlining the AAC’s agenda for the 2027 elections.
“Our agenda is revolutionary justice and equal rights. Nigeria is enormously wealthy, yet Nigerians have been deliberately impoverished through corruption, incompetence and an economic system designed to reward a tiny political and business elite. We intend to change that fundamentally.
We are proposing a ₦500,000 monthly living minimum wage because Nigerian workers cannot continue receiving starvation wages while senators, governors and political appointees consume millions every month.
“We will deliver 24-hour electricity because no serious industrial economy can operate permanently on generators. Education will be free and accessible at all levels, and no Nigerian child should be denied education because his or her parents are poor.”He added, “We will embark on the construction of one million public mixed income homes while reforming tenancy laws so that working people are not forced to pay one or two years of rent in advance. Healthcare must become a right, not a privilege reserved for people who can afford medical tourism.
“We will industrialise Nigeria, massively expand agricultural production and processing, rebuild infrastructure and create dignified employment.
“We will reform policing and security, properly compensate security personnel and deploy modern technology, including drones and advanced intelligence systems, to confront insecurity.
“We will wage an uncompromising war against corruption and recover public resources stolen by political officeholders. Nigeria’s wealth must work for Nigerians.”
Sowore is one of the 18 2027 presidential candidates formally announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday.
The activist said the AAC would build a “people funded campaign” rather than rely on wealthy individuals or political patrons to finance its 2027 campaign.
On the ideological direction of his party, Sowore said Nigerians were “more ready than ever” for a leftist government, arguing that decades of capitalist governments had failed to address inequality and poverty.
Apc
“Our socialism is practical. It means the wealth produced by society must improve the lives of the people who produce it. It means universal education, healthcare, decent housing, electricity, living wages and social protection.
“It means workers deserve dignity. It means Nigeria’s natural resources belong to Nigerians rather than a handful of politically connected billionaires.
“After decades of capitalist governments producing spectacular wealth for a few and devastating poverty for millions, Nigerians do not need another lecture about why this failed system should continue. They need an alternative, and AAC represents that alternative.”
Sowore also criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying his government would reverse what he described as the philosophy behind the policies.
He said his government would judge its economic policies by their impact on the material conditions of Nigerians.
On security during the 2027 campaigns, Sowore said he would demand professionalism from security agencies and insist on his constitutional rights.
“I have never asked Nigeria’s security agencies for favours. I demand professionalism. Police officers, soldiers and intelligence personnel are employees of the Nigerian people. They are not private security guards belonging to a president, governor, minister or ruling political party.
“I have been arrested, detained, prosecuted and attacked under different governments, so intimidation is not new to me. But there is an important lesson from those experiences. Resistance works.”
He said his administration would improve the welfare of security personnel and professionalise security institutions.
The activist emerged as the AAC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election after being selected by consensus.
Despite low votes recorded in his 2019 and 2023 presidential runs, Sowore said the party’s chances in 2027 had “never been better”, arguing that the AAC had remained independent of political godfathers, governors and wealthy patrons.
He said the party would organise its campaign from the grassroots, with its structures extending to wards, polling units, communities, campuses, markets and workplaces.
Cc: Punch