Minimum Wage: Oyo, Lagos Lead In South West

By Fola James

Civil servants in Oyo state will not be left out in the payment of new National minimum wage signed by President Buhari middle last year.

Apprehension has mounted among workers that the six south west states will not be able to pay the new pay package.

States like Osun, Ekiti states still owe their workforce a backlog of salary, so, many watchers of these states’ politics have doubted their capacity to pay their workers the new minimum wage.

Some of these states have set up committees to negotiate with the various labour unions in their states, following pressure from the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC but it was learnt that, they are not committed to paying the new wage.

Apart from Lagos state which has assured workers that it will commence the payment this month, no other state in the region has made serious commitment.

But Governor Seyi Makinde has broken the ice on the matter.

His declaration on Wednesday that the state will pay the new wage has sent jubilation across the state.

According to the governor, while speaking at the 2020 Inter-Religious Prayer Service organised by the state government at the State Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, all the workers will enjoy  the approved minimum wage.

Celebration has rented, Ibadan, the state’s capital since the declaration as many civil servants lauded the governor.

Those who spoke with the magazine said, Governor Makinde has identified with the workers since he came to office, considering various decisions his government has made to promote the welfare of workers.

“For the first time in many years, Governor Makinde paid Oyo workers the 13^th month salary.

He has also made sure that workers are not owed salary, having cleared the backlog left by his predecessor,” Akeem Okanlawon told, a worker in the state told the magazine on Thursday.

Another top civil servant in the state Primary Education Board( SUBEB), who said her name should not be mentioned, said the policy of the administration is “workers first.”

She disclosed that Governor Makinde has made the civil servants a top priority as a way of turning the state around within the shortest time.

“The civil servants are the engine room of any government, they determine the success or otherwise of any administration.

They are the engine room of any government.

The Governor has made sure that every member of his cabinet has keyed into this policy and so far so good,” the source said.

She said, the action is in line with state’s slogan as the pacesetter.