On Monday, July 29, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed a law establishing a new national minimum wage of N70,000, up from the previous N30,000.
This decision followed a series of unsuccessful negotiations among the Organised Labour, private sector representatives, and the federal government within the Tripartite Committee.
Immediately after the signing, both the Senate and House of Representatives quickly passed the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 (Amendment Bill).
This development comes in the wake of Tinubu’s cancellation of petrol subsidies in May 2023, which led the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to float the naira, highlighting the urgent need for a wage review. Initially, labour unions demanded N615,000, later reducing their request to N250,000. After extensive negotiations and a two-day strike, the committee agreed on N62,000.
Under the law, wage reviews are mandated every five years, with the last review conducted in 2019 during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which increased the wage from N18,000 to N30,000. These adjustments often led to disputes and dissatisfaction.
The newly amended act stipulates that future wage reviews will occur every three years. This increase is seen as a crucial measure to combat the rising cost of living and enhance the welfare of Nigerian civil servants.
However, its implementation has received mixed responses from state governors. While some express willingness to adopt the new minimum wage, others voice concerns about their financial capability to do so.
In this article, we take a look at some states that have approved N70,000 or above as minimum wage for workers.
1. Adamawa State
The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, recently announced the approval of the payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 to civil servants in the state on Monday, August 19, 2024. He described the approval as a reaffirmation of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of civil servants in the state.
2. Lagos State
The country’s economic hub has been reportedly paying at least N70,000 to civil servants before the federal government.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in an interview, said the state had been paying more than the minimum wage before it was passed into law.
He said, “When you look at the minimum wage that was paid in Lagos before, the least state worker earned about N77,000. So, if they said the minimum wage is now N70,000, we have no problem with it at all because Lagos has been paying more than that, and we will continue to pay.”
3. Edo State
The Edo State Government has begun paying the N70,000 new minimum wage to workers in the state. This is in fulfillment of the promise made by Governor Godwin Obaseki to increase the minimum wage from May 2024.
The workers in the state were receiving N40,000 as minimum wage before the new increment.
4. Ogun State
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Monday, October 4, 2024, approved the sum of N77,000 as the minimum wage for the lowest worker in the state.
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 the organized labour in Ogun State, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and the Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The amount was N7000 above the FG’s approved wage and it’s the highest so far in the country.
5. Gombe State
The Gombe State Government has approved N71,500 minimum wage for civil servants in the state effective from October.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Gombe State chapter, Yusuf Aish-Bello, stated this shortly after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the new National Minimum Wage,
The agreement was sealed between the organised labour and the state government, on Monday, October 14, 2024, in Gombe.
The deputy governor urged civil servants to report directly to him if the N70,000 new national minimum wage was not reflected in their October salary.
6. Ondo State
The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Saturday, October 12, 2024, announced the implementation of N73,000 minimum wage for state government workers.
The governor also expressed the commitment of his administration to the welfare of the people of the state.
Aiyedatiwa made the announcement during the kick-off of his campaign in Ondo town, Ondo State, ahead of the November 16 governorship election.
The governor declared that despite the fact that the Federal Government approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage, “Ondo will go a step further by paying N73,000 to our workers.”
7. Ekiti State
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has also approved the new N70,000 minimum wage to workers in the state service.
Oyebanji announced this on October 12, 2024, during the 2024 Pensioners’ Day, held in Ado Ekiti, which marks the beginning of activities for the Second Anniversary of his administration.
The governor said his administration was resolved to make life better for the people, adding, “The minimum wage has become a law binding on all states.”
8. Kogi State
Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has approved N72,500 minimum wage for civil servants in Kogi State.
He made this known on Monday, October 8, 2024, during the unveiling of the new minimum wage, after signing the agreement.
“The new N72,500 minimum wage should take immediate effect, to enable the workers to cope with the current situation in the country,” he said.
9. Borno State
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced the commencement of the payment of the new minimum wage in the state.
Zulum made this known on October 8, when he convened a meeting with the state minimum wage implementation committee and directed that civil servants be paid the new national wage.
He said, “The meeting was held in Maiduguri on Monday at the council chamber of the government house.”
10. Ebonyi State
The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has approved the payment of N70,000 minimum wage to civil servants under the employ of the state.
Nwifuru announced this on Saturday, September 1, 2024, at the grand finale of the Ojiji Izhi New Yam Festival.
“I have directed relevant government authorities to draft out modalities for the payment of the new minimum wage commencing in September,” he said.
11. Anambra State
The Anambra State Government has said it will start paying the new minimum wage of N70,000 from October, 2024.
The state Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, made the revelation at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka, while meeting with principals and head teachers in public primary and secondary schools in late September.
“I assure you that even with the binding resource constraint, this administration will continue to work very hard to deliver on the mandate.
“From next month, we also hope to start paying the new minimum wage of N70,000,” he said.
Meanwhile, states like Oyo, Katsina, Osun, Kano,Kebbi, Katsina, Rivers, Plateau, and others promised to pay the new minimum wage but have yet to approve it.
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