According to information obtained by Naija News, at least 20 Nigerian states have either started paying the recently approved minimum wage or intend to do so this month.
After extensive negotiations between representatives of the government, business sector, and labor organizations, the National Assembly passed a bill on July 18 that increased the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the measure into law on July 29.
Last month, a Federal Government commission headed by Esther Walson-Jack, the Federation’s Head of Civil Service, described changes to payments, and the Federal Government has subsequently enacted the new wage.
Numerous states have also negotiated with labor leaders on their own and, in certain situations, have set salaries that are greater than the federal standard.
For example, Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom states have set a minimum salary of ₦80,000, while Lagos and Rivers have the highest at ₦85,000.
These higher rates have been bolstered by increased state income allocations as a result of the elimination of the gasoline subsidy; the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) currently provides federal, state, and local governments with approximately ₦1.1 trillion every month.
State-specific wage agreements include: Abia (₦70,000), Adamawa (₦70,000), Anambra (₦70,000), Jigawa (₦70,000), Borno (₦70,000), Ebonyi (₦75,000), Edo (₦70,000), Delta (₦77,000), Gombe (₦71,000), Ogun (₦77,000), Kebbi (₦75,000), Ondo (₦73,000), Kogi (₦72,000), and Kwara (₦70,000).
State-Specific Responses and Updates
– Bayelsa: Governor Douye Diri approved an ₦80,000 minimum wage along with better pensions, effective November 1, and released ₦7 billion to address unpaid gratuities.
– Ebonyi: Governor Francis Nwifuru announced a ₦75,000 wage for public workers, with a ₦40,000 boost for those on grade levels 3 and above. His decision followed a review of economic pressures affecting the workforce.
– Abia: Information Commissioner Okey Kanu confirmed the ₦70,000 wage implementation will start this month, a move demonstrating Governor Alex Otti’s commitment to worker welfare.
– Enugu: Governor Peter Mbah set an ₦80,000 minimum wage, recognizing labor’s role in wealth creation.
– Anambra: Governor Chukwuma Soludo kept the wage at ₦70,000, explaining that despite deductions (union dues, tax), workers could receive between ₦78,000 and ₦84,000, with the minimum take-home guaranteed at ₦70,000.
– Osun: To finalize changes, labor groups will meet with the state’s Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee, which is chaired by Kazeem Akinleye, the chief of staff for Governor Ademola Adeleke.
– Benue: To establish a suitable wage level, a committee is anticipated to wrap up its report this week.
Tommy Okon, the Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, stressed that states now have the financial capacity to fulfill this obligation and denounced any governor who has not yet implemented the new minimum wage as being “insensitive” to worker demands.
