Amid heavy workforce, all eyes on governors over new minimum wage

Following the agreement on the new minimum wage of N70,000 reached between the Federal Government and the organised labour, all eyes are now on governors regarding implementation of the new minimum wage in their respective states.

Hopes are particularly higher in states where their governments are already implementing the current N30,000 minimum wage and more compared to those states whose governments are still grappling existing with promptly paying the current minimum wage that lapsed in April this year.

Presently, Ondo State spends N6 billion monthly on the payment of salaries and pensions to 54,850 workers and pensioners.

The minimum wage in the state is N30,000, with salaries paid up to date, while it has been paying N35,000 monthly to all categories of workers and N10,000 to retirees as wage award.

In Kebbi, the minimum wage is N18,000, with a workforce of about 23,000.

The administration leader of Governor Nasiru Idris, who is the immediate past president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), set up a 10-man committee to look into the possibilities of implementing the N30,000 minimum wage, but now has the new minimum wage of N70,000 to deal with.

The sum of N30,000 is approved as minimum wage in Bauchi.

A source in the Bauchi government expressed confidence that Governor Bala Mohammed is favourably disposed to implementing the new minimum wage as soon as possible.

Civil servants in Sokoto State have been receiving the N30,000 minimum wage for more than four years now, and no salary is being owed.

The Kano State government has been paying the minimum wage since December 2019, to its about 90,000 workforce.

The state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Kabiru Inuwa, said that workers get paid between the 25th and 27th of every month.

When asked about the new minimum wage, Inuwa said: “We have high expectations that the state government would pay the new minimum wage. This is because, in the history of Kano, the state has never refused to pay the minimum wage.”

Kwara State government currently pays N30,000 wage to its workers, as well as N10,000 as palliative allowance.

In Oyo State, the minimum wage is N30,000 largely implemented for workers on lower level cadres, while there is a N25,000 wage award enjoyed by all cadre of workers and N15,000 for pensioners.

When the new minimum wage agitations began, Governor Seyi Makinde had set up a committee to review workers’ salaries with the committee yet to submit its report.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Borno State, through its chairman, Inuwa Yusuf, has expressed confidence in Governor Babagana Zulum’s commitment to implement the new minimum wage of N70,000.

In Adamawa, the sum of N32,000 is paid as minimum wage to workers across the state, including those working in the local government areas.

According to the Head of Service of Adamawa state, Isa Shuhu Ardo, the state has a combined workforce of over 1. 6 million and every worker receives his salary on or before the 24th of the month.

The Kogi workforce is about 32,000 with the sum of N35,000 being minimum wage and paid as and when due.

Delta has 51,000 workers with the minimum wage being N30,000.

The Anambra State President of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Adigwe Chikwelu said that workers salaries in the state are regular every 25th of the month.

Lagos State government pays minimum wage of N35,000, which it began in November 2019, with salary not owed any worker in the state.

Jigawa state civil servants were among the first beneficiaries of the N30,000 minimum wage approved and implemented by former president Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

Since then the workers in the state have been receiving their salaries as and when due.

Jigawa state has over 57, 000 workforce in the payroll of the state and local government and local education department excluding the political elected and appointment in the state.

Osun is among the states of the federation that has not defaulted in the payment of N30,000 minimum wage to its over 50,000 workforce.

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