Seventeen state governors have established committees to implement the new ₦70,000 minimum wage for workers across Nigeria.
The states taking action include Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun, Enugu, Borno, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara, Gombe, Kano, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, and Abia.
This comes as the Federal Government began paying the new minimum wage to its 1.2 million workers last Thursday.
According to the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, civil servants will receive the new minimum wage starting from September.
In addition, Edo, Lagos, and Adamawa states have already begun payment, while Anambra state has pledged to implement the new wage by October.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Adamawa, Emmanuel Fashe, confirmed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri started paying the new wage as early as August, ahead of the Federal Government and other states.
Fashe, speaking to The PUNCH on Sunday, revealed that within three weeks of President Bola Tinubu signing the new minimum wage bill into law in July, the Adamawa State government began implementing the payments in August.
Fashe explained that local government workers in Adamawa began receiving the new wage in September, following updates to the August payroll.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra has also announced that his state will start paying the ₦70,000 minimum wage from October 2024.
He made this known during a meeting with public school principals and headteachers, promising further reforms in education, including refunds for school fees already paid.
Governor Soludo said, “From next month, we hope to start paying the new minimum wage of ₦70,000. Also, from next week, a free education policy will be available to senior students in all public schools in Anambra. Students in senior classes who have already paid their ₦5,000 fees for this term should be refunded and we promise to do more in human development.”
However, an NLC official speaking with The PUNCH, cautioned against celebrating this development, pointing out that the value of the ₦70,000 wage has already been diminished by rising costs.
The official questioned why the new wage implementation was backdated to July instead of May, as stipulated in the 2019 Minimum Wage Act, which states the new wage should take effect immediately after the old one expires.
“The truth is this, we should not be romanticizing people who are lawbreakers. People who are lawbreakers should not be romanticised. If the Federal Government says they want to start paying, I don’t think it is something that should be celebrated. What is it that they want to start paying? ₦70,000 that has already been eroded by the actions and policies of the government?
“If you look at the price of PMS (petrol) from the time the minimum wage was signed into law and now, you could see that you could see the deliberate actions of the government to erode the minimum wage.
“A bag of rice now is almost ₦88,000 or thereabouts. And then it means we are saying we have a minimum wage that cannot buy a bag of rice is a shameful minimum wage. So it’s a starvation wage,” he stated.
In Imo State, the NLC Chairman, Uche Chigamezu, expressed optimism, stating that discussions with the government on the new wage would begin shortly.
Similarly, Nasarawa State is ready to implement the new wage, with Governor Abdullahi Sule committed to emulating the Federal Government’s steps.
Ogun State is awaiting a committee’s report on the new wage implementation, while Ekiti State has a committee in place, though further details remain undisclosed.
Ondo State has declared readiness to pay the new wage, though Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa emphasized the need to domesticate the law and structure its implementation.
Osun State is also in the process of developing the modalities for wage implementation, having extended palliatives for workers and reduced workdays to ease transportation costs.
Delta and Bayelsa states have not yet finalized their plans, with Delta waiting for a minimum wage chart, and Bayelsa yet to set up a committee.
In Benue, despite promises from Governor Hyacinth Alia, the state has yet to establish an implementation committee, and Sokoto and Kebbi states are working on the process to pay the new wage soon.
The governments of Enugu, Zamfara, and Kogi have also taken steps, forming committees to oversee the new minimum wage rollout.
Kwara State has set up a committee to work on consequential adjustments, though no payments have been made yet. Gombe State is waiting for a consequential adjustment table from the Federal Government, and in Kaduna, NLC Chairman Suleiman Ayuba confirmed that negotiations for the new wage are yet to begin.
In Kano, the state government is awaiting the report of its advisory committee, which will be submitted after the Independence Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, Taraba State has also formed a committee led by the State Head of Service to handle the wage implementation process.
