Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has announced a new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants in the state. This announcement was made during the commissioning of the new Labour House in Edo state on Monday. The new wage is set to come into effect on May 1, 2024.
This development comes at a time when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is in a tussle with the Federal Government over increasing the minimum wage to match the rising inflation and skyrocketing food inflation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the inflation rate for March 2024 hit 33.2 per cent, up from 31.70 per cent in February. Food inflation also saw a rise to 31.7 per cent in March from 30 per cent in February.
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In response to the economic situation, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have demanded N615,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country. This demand followed the inauguration of a 37-member panel by President Bola Tinubu on January 30. The panel, which includes members from federal and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour. The Committee was tasked with recommending a new national minimum wage.
During the inaugural meeting of the panel, Shettima urged members to ‘speedily’ arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early, given that the current N30,000 minimum wage expired at the end of March 2024. The decision by the Edo State Governor to increase the minimum wage is seen as a step in addressing the concerns of the labour unions and the economic challenges faced by the workers.
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