Ondo’s Minimum Wage Increase, A Political Carrot,  Bait – PDP

By Ayodele Oni

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has again hit at the state government, describing the N73,000 newly approved minimum wage for the workers as a ‘ Greek Gift’ warning them to be careful.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had on Saturday announced that government had approved N73,000 as new minimum wage for the workers.

It was during the flag off of his campaign for the November election in Ondo city.

Reacting to the offer, the PDP insisted that it was a political statement which could not stand the test of time.

The statement, signed by Ayo Fadaka, spokesman for Agboola Ajayi Campaign Organization of the PDP stated that “We notice with amusement Governor Aiyedatiwa’s decision to raise the minimum wage in Ondo State from the federal government approved ₦70,000 to a paltry ₦73,000.

“This is obviously a hollow pretense that is calculated to present him as a workers’ friendly Governor,  an assumption which falls flat on his face when due cognisance is taken of his failure to do this increment many months back. The fact that is just doing this now is a mere pretence.

“In a brazen display of desperation, this marginal wage increment serves as a flimsy attempt to curry favor with the electorate, masking his administration’s colossal failures across every critical sector.

“It is a move that reeks of calculated deceit, aimed not at alleviating the suffering of the people, but at securing their votes through shallow tokenism.

“A leader who genuinely cares about the welfare of his people would have long since addressed the root causes of Ondo State’s challenges—poverty, unemployment, and the decay of essential services.

“His administration has been defined by neglect, indifference, and a stark lack of empathy for the plight of the common man,  rather than champion sustainable development and meaningful progress.

“He has opted to dangle this meager wage increase as a political carrot, a last-ditch effort to manipulate and hoodwinked the electorate in pursuit of his selfish political survival.

“What makes Aiyedatiwa’s actions particularly wicked is the timing of this so-called wage hike, after months of inertia and complete disregard for the struggles of the workers who keep the state functioning.

“This insulting small increase is now paraded as an act of benevolence, the reality, however, is as clear as day: this cynical strategy is designed not to improve the lives of the hardworking people of Ondo State, but to salvage the political ambitions of a governor who has failed them at every turn.

“While Aiyedatiwa attempts to use this meager raise as political bait, the grim truth remains unchanged.

“The teeming Civil Servants in Ondo State see this latest promise about a new minimum wage increment as another Greek gift to hoodwink unsuspecting members of Ondo State civil service into voting for him.

“The timing is ill-conceived, and nobody is going to take him seriously because he has deceived the civil service once, and they won’t allow him to deceive them one more time – Once bitten, twice shy!”