By Uche Amunike
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has confirmed that the state government will pay her workers a minimum wage of N85,000.
Speaking, during an interview on Channels TV, Wednesday, during a program titled: ‘One-on-one with Babajide Sanwo-Olu’, he made this disclosure, stating that he was not competing with other states, but rather, would pay more simply because the state had the capacity to do more than them with no stress.
Hear him: ‘You mentioned minimum wage and what I need to throw in for my people. I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we’ve discussed with our union, is N85,000 today.’
‘It’s not a competition, so I’m not going to say that we’re paying more than some other people; it’s a function of affordability and a function of capacity.’
He further stated that he would be glad to come on air in January 2025 to announce that the Lagos State government would be paying a minimum wage of N100,000.
His words: ‘We actually increased our salary earlier in the year and it’s deserving for our staff, and we’ll continue to do that. I want to come back to you in January and say that I’ve been able to increase the minimum wage in Lagos to N100,000. (This is) not because I want to make anybody look bad, it’s really because I want my people to have a living wage.’
He maintained that he wanted the people of Lagos state to know that the government is working for them, and stated that his government will ensure that in areas where serious expenses are not needed, they will tighten it so that the state government would be able to give the workers commensurate things that will take them home, instead of dropping them off at the bus stop.
Sanwo-Olu assured Lagosians of these commitments at a time when state governments and organized labour are having negotiations concerning the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, which was approved by the federal government.
Meanwhile, the representatives of the Oyo State government and the organized labour will begin negotiations today, Thursday, concerning consequential adjustments for a new minimum wage in the state.
Governor Seyi Makinde announced that his administration would kick off the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage, as soon as the issue of consequential salary adjustment has been addressed.
The Ogun State governor was not left out as he approved the sum of N77,000 as minimum wage in the state. They reached this decision at a meeting, which was attended by the Secretary to the Ogun State government, Tokunbo Talabi, as well as the leadership of the organized labour, which comprises of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the Joint Negotiating Council on the new minimum wage.
The governor has however directed, through a statement released by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, that the new minimum wage will take affect in October 2024.
