…Payment Takes Effect From October
Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the sum of N77,000 as the minimum wage for the least paid worker in the state employment.
The payment of the approved minimum wage takes immediate effect.
This decision was revealed after a meeting of the state government led by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, and the leadership of organized labour in Ogun State, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, and the Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage.
Talabi said the meeting was at the instance of Governor Abiodun, who he stated has directed that no worker in the state should earn less than N77,000, starting from the month of October.
He stated that Prince Abiodun means well for the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to further ameliorate the suffering of the people, adding that the governor has also advised the organized private sector to take a cue from the policy, as their workers are not exempted from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state holistically.
The SSG also noted that the governor has therefore advised that the private sector should dialogue with 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 organized labour in the state is very pleased with the governor, for approving 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, the chairman of the state TUC, Comrade Akeem Lasisi and his JNC counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude, commended the government for being worker-friendly, while noting 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 would further boost the morale of the workers in committing themselves to the implementation of the government’s policies.
