- The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, stated that no worker in the state would earn less than N77,000 starting from the month of October.
Ogun State has begun the payment of N77,000 minimum wage for workers in the state.
The payment of the minimum wage, which has been approved by the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, takes immediate effect.
The commencement of the minimum wage payment was announced at a meeting between Governor Abiodun and the leadership of the Organized Labour in Ogun State, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, stated that no worker in the state would earn less than N77,000 starting from the month of October.
Prince Abiodun said the priority of his administration is the welfare of the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to alleviate the suffering of the people.
The governor said he is in touch with the organized private sector to take a cue from the minimum wage policy, as their workers are not exempt from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state holistically.
He noted that as such, the private sector should dialogue with their relevant stakeholders to arrive at a commensurate minimum wage for the sector while he will set up a monitoring team to see how it is implemented by the private sector to ensure no one is short-changed.
On his part, the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Benco, said the organized labour in the state is very pleased with the Governor having approved the N77,000 in consultation with labour leaders, which today is the highest in the country.
Benco noted that some states that have implemented the new minimum wage are paying N70,000, while some pay N70,250 or less, adding that the other sectorial salaries will be affected accordingly.
He also mentioned that the government has graciously approved the submission of labour that the new basic salary should not be taxed.
In the same vein, Comrade Akeem Lasisi of the TUC and his counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude of the JNC, commended the government for being worker-friendly, while they noted that consequential adjustments for pensioners and other matters will be announced after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders