Ogun Approves N77,000 Minimum Wage for Workers

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has approved N77,000 as the minimum wage for the lowest worker in the state, effective immediately. This decision was made public after a meeting between the state government, led by Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, and the leadership of the Organised Labour in Ogun state, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and the Joint Negotiating Council.

“The meeting is at the instance of Governor Abiodun, who has directed that no worker in the state should earn less than N77,000 starting from October,” Talabi said. “The governor means well for the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to further ameliorate the suffering of the people.”

He added that “the governor has also advised the organized private sector to take a cue from the policy, as their workers are not exempted from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state holistically.”

On his part, the state NLC Chairman, Hameed Benco, said:

“The organised 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. Some states that have implemented the new minimum wage are paying N70,000, while some pay N70,250 or less.”

Benco noted that other sectorial salaries will be adjusted accordingly and that the government has approved the submission to exempt the new basic salary from taxation.

Comrade Akeem Lasisi of the TUC and his counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude of the JNC, commended the government for being worker-friendly, saying:

“We appreciate the government for this gesture and we are committed to working with them to ensure its successful implementation.”

In his reaction, Ogun State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said:

“The approval of the generous minimum wage for workers underscores the responsiveness and sensitivity of the Governor and the government to the plight of the workers and the general populace of the state.”

Onasanya expressed optimism that the gestures by the government will further boost the morale of the workers in committing themselves to the implementation of the government’s policies.