Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has offered to pay N77,000 as the state’s minimum wage for the lowest-paid employee, way above the national minimum wage of N70,000 approved by the National Assembly.
The payment is effective immediately, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the Secretary to the State Government announced in Abeokuta on Monday.
The decision was made following a meeting to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage between the leadership of organised labour in Ogun State, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), and Governor Abiodun, who was represented by Mr. Talabi.
The governor, who spoke through the SSG, said that no worker in the state should earn less than N77,000 starting from the month of October.
Abiodun said his administration means well for the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to further ameliorate the suffering of the people.
The governor said he is in touch with the organized private sector to take a cue from the minimum wage policy, as their workers are not exempt from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state holistically.
He noted that as such, the private sector should dialogue with their relevant stakeholders to arrive at a commensurate minimum wage for the sector while he will set up a monitoring team to see how it is implemented by the private sector to ensure no one is short-changed.
On his part, the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Benco, said the organized labour in the state is very pleased with the governor having approved the N77,000 in consultation with labour leaders, which today is the highest in the country.
Benco noted that some states that have implemented the new minimum wage are paying N70,000, while some pay N70,250 or less, adding that the other sectorial salaries will be affected accordingly.
He also mentioned that the government has graciously approved the submission of labour that the new basic salary should not be taxed.
In the same vein, Comrade Akeem Lasisi of the TUC and his counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude of the JNC, commended the government for being worker-friendly, while they noted that consequential adjustments for pensioners and other matters will be announced after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
In his reaction, Ogun State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said the approval of the generous minimum wage for workers underscores the responsiveness and sensitivity of the governor and the government to the plight of the workers and the general populace of the state.
Onasanya expressed optimism that the gestures by the government will further boost the morale of the workers in committing themselves to the implementation of the government’s policies.
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