After the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) approved N70,000 new minimum wage for workers, some states in Nigeria have already begun paying the N70,000 minimum wage.
It should be recalled that, President Bola Tinubu earlier approved the new minimum wage for workers, with a commitment to review it every three years.
However, while three states have implemented the N70,000 minimum wage, others are still in the process of setting up implementation committees or have yet to show any commitment.
Three of thirty-four states currently paying the N70,000 minimum wage which include; Lagos, Edo, and Adamawa.
In Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed in April that workers had been receiving the N70,000 minimum wage since January.
The governor explained that employees who were previously earning a minimum wage of N35,000 or more have seen their salaries increase to ₦70,000 or above since the beginning of the year.
According to him; “The civil servants and all public officers in Lagos know that since January, we have continued to pay the wage allowance of a minimum of N35,000 over and above what they were earning before. What this means is that people earning a minimum of N35,000 before are now earning over N70,000. That is what they have been enjoying since January,” Sanwo-Olu stated.
In May, the Edo State Government began paying the new N70,000 minimum wage to workers in the state, fulfilling a promise made to increase the wage.
Governor Godwin Obaseki announced this wage increase during the inauguration of the Labour House in Benin City, the state capital.
He highlighted that the increase from N40,000 to N70,000 was aimed at cushioning the effects of the harsh economy on the people of the state.
In Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri approved the payment of the new N70,000 national minimum wage to civil servants in August.
This development was confirmed by Comrade Emmanuel Fashe, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), following a closed-door meeting with the governor at the state Government House.
