17 State Governors Set Up Panels To Review Minimum Wage

17 State Governors Set Up Panels To Review Minimum Wage

Seventeen state governors have established committees to implement the N70,000 new minimum wage for workers nationwide. The states involved include Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun, Enugu, Borno, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara, Gombe, Kano, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, and Abia…….CONTINUE READING 

This move coincides with the Federal Government’s commencement of the new wage payments last Thursday to its 1.2 million workers. According to the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, civil servants will receive their wages retroactively from September.

Additionally, Edo, Lagos, and Adamawa states have started paying the new salary, with Anambra promising to begin implementation in October. In Adamawa, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri began payments in August, ahead of the Federal Government. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman in the state, Emmanuel Fashe, confirmed that state workers received the new wage in August, while local government workers started receiving theirs in September.

In Anambra, Governor Chukwuma Soludo announced plans to commence payment in October, along with the introduction of a free education policy for senior public school students.

Meanwhile, a senior NLC official criticized the new wage as insufficient, citing the rising cost of living. He argued that the N70,000 wage is devalued by inflation and government policies, questioning why the implementation was backdated to July instead of May, as stipulated by the 2019 Minimum Wage Act.

State governments across Nigeria are either awaiting committee reports or have already begun the implementation process. Governors in states such as Imo, Nasarawa, and Sokoto have affirmed their commitment to paying the new wage, while others, like Ogun and Enugu, are waiting for committee recommendations. Some states, including Delta and Bayelsa, are yet to finalize the details surrounding the new minimum wage implementation.