This week?s increase in the salary of public servants in Imo and Ebonyi States may have ignited a fresh wave of agitation for more pay in other states, according to feelers, yesterday.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, during a meeting with labour leaders in the state, on Tuesday, announced the approval of a new minimum wage of N104,000, which is N34000 above the national benchmark that came into effect this year.

The minimum wage of medical doctors rose from N215,000 to N503,000, while that of teachers in tertiary institutions went up from N119,000 to N222,000.

Ebonyi State government followed suit 24 hours later, topping its workers? monthly salary with N20,000 across board.

The decision was taken at Wednesday?s meeting of the State Executive Council (SEC) in Abakaliki, and it takes immediate effect.

The Imo development was good news to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero.

?It is real, and commendable,? Ajaero said on Thursday at the seventh quadrennial delegates? conference of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW).

Continuing, he said: ?If the states have the capacity to pay N100,000 and above, and considering that Imo state is not the highest in terms of revenue, it then means others are encouraged to do more.

That is the whole essence of minimum wage. Minimum wage is the least; states can do better. I think this is an initiative that other governors are supposed to follow.

Following the development in Imo and Ebonyi, the Edo State chapter of the NLC said, yesterday, that it would positively engage with the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, with a view to reviewing the minimum wage.

During the last May Day celebration, Governor Okpebholo had increased the minimum wage to N75,000.

Caretaker Committee Chairman of Edo NLC, Prof. Monday Igbafen, said there was nothing achieved for workers that was not a product of struggle.

Prof. Igbafen appealed to Edo workers to be patient and allow the union to engage with the state government.

He expressed optimism that the Governor would listen to them.

Information and Orientation Commissioner Paul Ohonbamu said the Governor has done a lot to improve the welfare of workers, citing the N1bn soft loan and payment of students? bursary and increment of minimum wage as part of Okpebholo?s demonstration of commitment to workers? welfare.

Chairman of the NLC in Bayelsa State, Simon Barnabas Bay, said the union would consult widely with stakeholders before engaging the state government for an upward review of salaries.

Reacting to the development in Imo and Ebonyi, Bay told The Nation that: ?We have only just heard in the news what happened in Ebonyi and Imo states, but in Bayelsa, we are yet to start an engagement process with the government. I have not even got across to my colleagues there, the council will consult widely, then we will return to the drawing board.?

The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Duoye Diri, Daniel Alabrah, was noncommittal on what might be the response of the state government to the action of the Imo and Ebonyi State governments, but he claimed that Bayelsa civil servants are amongst the highest paid in the country, next only to Lagos and Akwa Ibom states.

He said, ?When the federal government mooted the idea and came out with a template, Bayelsa jacked its minimum wage to N80,000 and even implemented a 25% and 35% increase in salaries and its backlog to university lecturers and civil servants.?

No funds for increased minimum wage - Taraba HoS

The Head of Service (HoS) in Taraba State, Dr. Ahmed Kara, said the state is not in a financial position to match the action of the Imo and Ebonyi state governments for now.

The state has no resources to increase salary, he said, in response to an inquiry from The Nation.

?I expected you to find out if the ongoing verification is over, and if there are any savings by the government? Is there a need to employ more?? he said, in a text message to our correspondent.

Kara added: ?We implemented N30,000 and N70,000 minimum wages in 2024. Still battling with salaries due to scarce resources, and you are talking of new? If funds permit, why not? But where is the fund? Subvention or revenue??

Also, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Peter Jediel, confirmed that he was aware of the latest increase in the two states but stated that they ?have not done anything yet? about the matter.

The Plateau State government said it does not want to be dragged to the edge on the issue at this time.

The Commissioner for Information, Joyce Ramnap, told The Nation by phone that another salary increase now was out of reach for the state government.

We want more money, says Abia NLC chairman

The Chairman of the NLC in Abia State, Comrade Okoro Ogbonnaya, said workers in the state have always ranked among the best paid in the southeast but would not mind a review of their present salary in view of the economic situation in the country.

He appealed to Governor Alex Otti to consider improving workers? monthly salaries.

Some workers in the state described the governor as worker-friendly.

Anambra too

A similar demand came from the Anambra State chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Chris Ogbonna.

He said, while the generality of the workers are happy with what he called Governor Chukwuma Soludo?s magnanimity, they would appreciate more money in their pockets.

?We?re like Oliver Twist, we need more,? he said.

Anambra currently pays N82,000 as minimum wage, and the Head of Service (HoS), Dame Okwy Igwegbe, has assured the workers that Governor Soludo will always do more for the people of the state with the right cooperation and at the right time

She said the labour unions, NLC and TUC, are like Siamese twins in Anambra, adding that the state government had been working closely with them.

We?re still where we were ?Kwara NLC boss

The NLC Chairman in Kwara State, Comrade Saheed Olayinka Murtala, said yesterday that there was no signal yet from the state government on whether it was willing to emulate Imo and Ebonyi States.

?We are still where we were,? he told The Nation.

His Trade Union Congress counterpart, Olayinka Onikijipa, said: ?I can?t say anything about it now. I just landed now in Ilorin since Monday when I left for Abuja.?

No plan for fresh review in Niger, says official

It appears, however, that the Niger State has no immediate plan to follow the Imo and Ebonyi example.

A top government official told our reporter in Minna that the state government has no plan to add to what it currently pays its workers.

nly a week ago, Governor Umar Bago said on television that the state pays N80,000 as minimum wage, which, according to him, is superior to what some other states pay.

Effect consequential adjustment in minimum wage first ? Enugu NLC

The Enugu State chapter of the NLC, its major wish is for the state government to implement the consequential adjustments of the new minimum wage for higher-grade workers.

Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, said the union?s priority was not just the new wage figure, but how it reflects across all salary structures.

What is crucial to us is the consequential adjustment and the domestic servant allowance for deputy directors. These are the ones we?re currently discussing,? Nwigbo said.

In some states, what they?re doing is to add N20,000 to N70,000 to make it N90,000. But the money will not reflect on what is paid to senior workers because there?s no consequential adjustment on the minimum wage payment.?

Nwigbo described the adjustment as a statutory entitlement, not a privilege.

We don?t want a situation where it is only an addition that will be made without consequential adjustment. What we think is more attractive to us is the consequential adjustment. We will be okay with the current minimum wage if all these are taken care of,? he added.

The NLC chairman said the union remained open to dialogue and was confident that the state government would consider the concerns of all categories of workers in the final agreement.

Oyo labour leaders hopeful

Labour leaders in Oyo are optimistic that Governor Seyi Makinde will fulfill his promise earlier in the year to positively consider the N80,000 approved minimum wage.

The leaders commended the governor for what they described as ongoing massive employment across various sectors in the state, despite having one of the largest workforces in the country.

The NLC Chairman in Oyo State, Comrade Kayode Martins, commended the governor for his consistency in paying salaries by the 25th of every month.

He said the governor has set a lot of records and standards with the employment of workers, including teachers, non-teachers, medical workers, and even in the mainstream civil service.

He said, ?Look at the massive employment across the various sectors, yet he hasn?t failed in payment of monthly salaries and entitlement. He was the one who set a standard by approving above the FG benchmark of the minimum wage.

Aside from signing the minimum wage, he also promised us back then that he would review and reconsider the amount as soon as revenue improves and things get better. We are only appealing. He?s doing so much in terms of infrastructure, but we know he can still do more for workers, too, and we know he will.?

Speaking in the same tenor, his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Comrade Bosun Olabiyi, said as a labour leader, what mattered to him was not just an increase in minimum wage but the implications of the consequential adjustments. He expressed optimism that the governor would not only consider a pay rise for the workers soon, but also allow it to cascade to others across the board.

The Chairman, Joint Negotiations Committee (JNC), Comrade Olanipekun Oluwaseun, said: ?After Lagos, we pay the best salaries, not only in the region but in the country. We can only appeal to him (Governor Makinde) to please kindly consider us again, as the cost of items changes daily.

?If you look at the N80,000, everybody is complaining. We are only appealing because people can now see that the minimum wage does not have much purchasing power. We know he is a worker-friendly governor; he must have been considering doing something more for the workers here.?

When contacted, the Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Labour Matters, Comrade Adebayo Titilola-Soodo, said, the state which just made the recent pronouncement just concluded negotiations, which Oyo had done earlier.

However, he expressed confidence that since some states are already raising the bar, it is expected that Governor Makinde may also consider towing the same path.

Titilola-Soodo said, ?Well, I think the states just making the announcement may perhaps be those who have yet to conclude the negotiations, which Governor Seyi Makinde had done a long time ago.

However, since some states have raised the bar, one would be optimistic that Governor Seyi Makinde, known for who he is and who would not let the workforce be below the bar, may also consider raising the bar; but time will tell.?

The current minimum wage of N70,000 came into effect last year, following the signing of the bill to that effect on July 29, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu.

Before the signing of the bill, Tinubu told labour leaders, at a meeting, that the minimum wage law would be reviewed every three years.

Revenue allocation to the states has increased astronomically since the removal of oil subsidy in 2023. (The Nation)

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