By Austin Ogwuda
“Delta is not and will never be in competition with any other State in terms of minimum wage payment, because her wage bill is huge and in billions of Naira, but there is room for improvement in the future, subject to availability of funds”.
This was the defence of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the oil rich Delta State, South-South region of Nigeria in response to criticisms on why the State chose to stick to the N70,000 approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Director General of Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe who spoke on behalf of the governor in a statement on Saturday lambasted the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, saying that “they lack moral and legal justification to fault the positive and timely steps taken by Governor Oborevwori to comply with the new minimum wage payment”.
According to the statement, “Governor Oborevwori has empowered more farmers, youths, women and artisans than any state in Nigeria. It is a statement of fact which Delta APC cannot disproof. Delta is making waves, and waxing strong.
“We expected the major opposition party, the APC, to commend governor Oborevwori, but alas, they goofed and remain muted about the multifaceted spread of dividends of democracy in the State.
“The prompt approval of minimum wage payment by the governor cannot be faulted and the amount approved resonates with economic realities, considering the state huge salary and wage bill.
“Therefore, Delta is not, and will never be in competition with any other State in terms of minimum wage payment, because her wage bill is huge, and in billions of Naira, but there is room for improvement in the future, subject to availability of funds.
“The ongoing implementation of governor Oborevwori’s MORE agenda”, it went on, “is already springing pleasant surprises. So much work to be done and at the end of the first tenure, his performance will speak at the polls, not the media propaganda of opposition parties or the divisive strategies of political detractors.
“My candid advise to Delta APC leaders is that they must of a necessity work closely with the federal government to solve the vexed issues of economic hardship in Nigeria and the hyper inflation causing unbearable financial stress and extreme poverty”, the statement further stated.
States paying higher than N70,000
In a related development, a number of State governments, according to Punch Newspaper survey, are maintaining the N70,000 minimum wage peg while others have gone ahead to pay higher.
Below is a list of States, according to the survey conducted by Punch that have announced plans to pay above N70,000:
*Lagos State: On October 16, 2024, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a new minimum wage of N85,000 for Lagos State workers, N15,000 above the federal minimum. He cited the high cost of living in Lagos as a factor and expressed a goal to raise the minimum to N100,000 by January 2025.
*Rivers State: On October 18, 2024, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, approved the payment of N85,000.00 as the new minimum wage for civil servants employed by the State Government.
*Ogun State: Governor Dapo Abiodun approved a minimum wage of N77,000 on October 15, 2024, according to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi.
*Gombe State: The state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress signed an agreement on October 14, 2024, to raise the minimum wage to N71,451.15.
*Ondo State: On October 12, 2024, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced a minimum wage increase to N73,000 for state workers during his campaign kickoff ahead of the November 16 governorship election.
*Kogi State: Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, approved N72,500 minimum wage for civil servants in the state with immediate effect. The governor also suspended the tax burden on the approved sum for one year.
*Kwara approves implementation of N70,000 new minimum wage.
The following States have agreed to adopt the N70,000 wage: Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, disclosed that the State will commence the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage from October 2024.
*Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, said his administration is committed to implementing the new minimum wage.
*In September, Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, approved the payment of N70,000 minimum wage to civil servants under the employ of the State.
*Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State approved the new monthly minimum wage of N70,000 for State and Local government workers in August.
*Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State declared that his administration would commence the payment of the minimum wage once the issue of consequential salary adjustment has been addressed.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, announced that the State will commence payment of the new minimum wage starting October 2024.
*Osun State and Benue State have also expressed readiness to adopt the new minimum wage.
However, some States, such as Jigawa, Zamfara, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa were yet to announce the implementation of the new minimum wage.
*Additional Report from Punch
