Imo Breaks Record As Uzodimma Sets ₦104,000 Minimum Wage Benchmark

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved a new minimum wage of ₦104,000 for civil servants in the state.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The announcement was made on Tuesday night during a meeting with labour union leaders at the Government House, Owerri.

According to the governor, the new wage raises the minimum salary from ₦76,000 to ₦104,000, while other categories of workers also received significant salary increases:

• Doctors’ minimum pay: from ₦215,000 to ₦503,000

• Tertiary institution teachers: from ₦119,000 to ₦222,000

Uzodimma explained that the move was aimed at cushioning the economic hardship faced by workers.

“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people,” he stated.

The governor recalled the challenges his administration had faced since 2020, including insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, subsidy removal, and wage disputes. Despite this, he emphasized the importance of maintaining a cordial relationship with organised labour.

He revealed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had grown from ₦400 million to over ₦3 billion monthly, while federal allocations increased from ₦5–₦7 billion in 2020 to about ₦14 billion. Imo’s debt profile, he added, had dropped from ₦280 billion in 2020 to less than ₦100 billion.

Uzodimma acknowledged the hardships caused by fuel subsidy removal but maintained it would yield long-term benefits.

“We are already beginning to see the dividends of President Bola Tinubu’s bold decision. Our task now is to ensure those benefits reach the common man on the street,” he said.

The governor also announced that the state would begin paying the last batch of ₦16 billion in gratuities owed to pensioners from August 27. In addition, his administration has launched a health insurance scheme, upgraded health facilities, and adopted the Federal Government’s initiative of setting up 1,000 businesses in every active INEC ward.

He called on labour unions to work in unity with government and urged workers to uphold ethical standards and avoid redundancy.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, hailed the wage increase as a major victory for Imo workers.

“Today, no worker in Imo will say you have not been fair to us. You rescued us from economic hardship and placed Imo among the highest-paying states in Nigeria,” he said, while praying for the governor’s protection.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Uchenna Ibe, praised Uzodimma for his “strong political will” in implementing wage reforms and improving workers’ welfare.