Jubilation As Rivers Begins Payment Of N85,000 Minimum Wage

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Rivers State Government on Thursday November  28, 2024 commenced the payment of N85,000 as  monthly minimum wage.

This comes on the heels of the uncertainty surrounding its monthly allocation from the Federation Account.

The Source reports that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had earlier agreed to pay the State workforce a minimum wage of N85,000 monthly.

This followed the agreement reached in August  between the leadership of the organized labour and the Federal Government whuch fixed the new national minimum wage at N70,000.

So far, Rivers, Lagos ,Delta and Akwa Ibom are among  the States  paying the highest negotiated minimum wage in the country.

Expectedly, the development has precipitated wild jubilation among the workers.

Confirming the commencement of payment, the Chairman  of the Rivers Chapter of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Chukwuma Osunna, in an interactive session with the media informed that the workers are exceedingly happy.

“The Governor has fulfilled his promise. As of today, I can confirm that he has paid the N85 ,000 new minimum wage to workers and they are happy.

We met under the Joint Council, sat with the Head of Service, saw the salary chart and confirmed that the N85,000 was well computed and implemented  in the November salary of workers.

“So payments started today, and by tomorrow, other banks will start to pay too”, Osunna stated .

However, before now, fears have been rife that the state might not be  able to keep its promise as well as other statutory obligations amidst the  court ruling that halted its Federation Allocation.

It will be recalled that a month ago , an Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu had ordered the withholding of Rivers monthly allocation.

Ruling in a motion on notice brought before it by the 27  state law makers loyal to the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, challenging the legality of the state’s 2024 appropriation Act, as passed by the Victor Oko-Jumbo led four members of the State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Fubara , Justice Lifu     held that  the budget was not properly passed .

He, consequently, ordered the stoppage of the state’s monthly Federal accruals pending when the Governor will re- submit the fiscal estimate for consideration and passage by the Speaker Martins Amaefwule-led pro-Wike 27 legislators .

Although, the office of the Accountant General of the Federation had, penultimate week insisted that the State will continue to receive its allocations  owing to the appeal filed by the State  authorities against the High Court earlier ruling ,as well as the granting of a stay of execution order, it was not yet clear if it had received its October share as at the time of  paying the Minimum wage .

However, Rivers State is believed to have enough Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, to carry on without the Federation Allocation.

From a monthly IGR of between N12 billion and N 13 billion before May 2023, the state’s internally generated revenue profile now  hovers between N 27 billon and N30 billion.