...Edo raises minimum wage to N40,000

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has increased the minimum wage of workers in the state from N30,000 approved by the federal government to N40,000.

During the 2022 Workers’ Day celebration in the state yesterday, Gov Obaseki said, “As we all know, the minimum wage of N30,000 can barely sustain a family; it will be immoral and mindless of us to continue to pretend that we do not know that our workers are suffering.

“The Government of Edo has now decided to review the minimum wage for workers from N30,000 to N40,000 a month. Undoubtedly, Edo is the first state since the current outbreak of the coronavirus to take this initiative.”

Obaseki further said his government was prepared to make sacrifices so that workers could live better lives. On the issue of pensioners, the governor said his administration took an interest in the payment of outstanding pensions despite that the pensioners were owed by previous administrations.

He said, “In view of the prevailing economic circumstances, I have now approved effective this May that the agreement we have reached with the (Nigeria) union of pensioners that the harmonised amount would be paid from May, 2022.” Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Mr Odion Olaye, called on the federal government to address insecurity, instability in the economy, unemployment and hunger in the nation.

Mr Olaye lamented that the state-owned institutions were in a state of abandonment and that the 65 and 35 per cent government subvention policy had strangulated them financially and academically.

Meanwhile, some pensioners who retired in 2012 staged a protest over non-payment of their gratuities during the celebration.

One of the pensioners who spoke to journalists, Irene Aiguobarueghian, said since their retirement they had only been getting pension but were yet to get their gratuities.