Labour lauds  Kebbi, A’Ibom for N75,000, N80,000 minimum wage

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, on Wednesday, gave approval for payment of N75,000 to civil servants in the state.

In a  similar vein,  Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, approved a new minimum wage package of N80,000 for public civil servants in the state, making the state one of those which have committed to pay civil servants minimum wage beyond the federal government benchmark of N70,000.

Following the announcements, the labour unions in the states applauded the governors for the approval.

The Nigerian Labour Congress in Kebbi State praised the governor’s approval, following a two-day marathon meeting between the state government and union leaders.

The new wage, according to a statement after the meeting, will take effect immediately, with payments starting in October.

The state NLC Chairman, Murtala Usman, voiced satisfaction with the governor’s approval, stressing that the move demonstrated a strong sense of solidarity with the workers in the state.

He stated, “Mr Governor has shown that he is with the workers in the state.

“We made a proposal of three tables for him. We proposed N72,000, N73,000, and N75,000, and he decided to go for the N75,000 table, which shows he is for the workers.”

He also disclosed that the governor instructed that the payment be processed and made available to the workers within 72 hours. “To crown it all, he also said the payment starts from this month’s (October) salaries, which he categorically said should be made available to workers in the next 72 hours,” Usman added.

A statement signed by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, which announced the N80,000 wage, revealed that the governor constituted an implementation committee to ensure the smooth transition to the new wage structure.

The committee, chaired by the state Head of Civil Service, Effiong Essien, is tasked with delivering a report within one month.

The statement said, “Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, has announced that the state government will pay a new minimum wage of N80,000 for all state government employees.

“To ensure a smooth rollout of this policy, the governor has also constituted an implementation committee, which has been given one month to deliver its report on how the wage increase will be executed.”