Realinfoteam
No less than 17 state governors have reached a milestone agreement in the implementation of workers’ welfare by inaugurating committees to implement the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage across their various states. The states that have inaugurated such committees are Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun, Enugu, Borno, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara, Gombe, Kano, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, and Abia.
According to *The Punch*, this is sequel to the approval of payment of the new minimum wage by the Federal Government for its 1.2 million workers, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where the new pay regime began last Thursday. The confirmation was in a memo to the Budget Office of the Federation by the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein; and hence, served as a critical move in the way that the federal workforce would get their due.
Similarly, Edo, Lagos, and Adamawa states have also started making the payment of N70,000. Most impressively, the Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri, spearheaded the implementation process as early as August 2024, before the federal government and the other states. Emmanuel Fashe, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Adamawa state said while state workers in Adamawa got the new wage in August, local government workers started getting their own in September.
But Anambra State has been very tardy about that; the governor, Chukwuma Soludo, is promising implementation by October 2024. While this is later than most states, it is an assurance to workers in Anambra that they will also enjoy their increased wages.
Setting up these committees in the 17 states demonstrates the wider reach of ensuring that this new minimum wage is effectively and uniformly applied. The committees are expected to supervise the logistics of adjusting payrolls, managing state budgets, and ensuring that compliance is observed in all sectors.
Workers in the affected states have hailed this development with fanfare, hopeful that this new wage would remove the financial burden placed by inflation and increased living costs. This is also a major milestone in the concerted effort made by both federal and state governments to better the lives of public sector employees in Nigeria.
Already in implementation and with more states likely to follow suit, it has been conceptualized that the minimum wage of N70,000 will have a lasting impact on the workers’ welfare and economic stability across the nation.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings