Oyo state, led by Seyi Makinde, has secured third place among the Nigerian states paying the highest minimum wage.
The state commissioner for information and orientation, Dotun Oyelade, revealed this via a statement made available to the press in Ibadan, the state capital, on Monday, December 16.
According to Oyelade, Lagos and Rivers states, which boast of abundant natural resources, pay N85,000 as a minimum wage, while Oyo state pays N80,000.
Recently, the federal government approved a national minimum wage of N70,000, with several states exceeding that amount.
States paying N80,000 minimum wage
The commissioner explained that although four other states are paying N80,000 as minimum wage, none of them has a workforce as large as Oyo’s.
According to the commissioner, the list of states paying N80,000 as minimum wage are:
- Akwa Ibom
- Bayelsa
- Oyo
- Enugu and
- Niger
Buttressing his point, Oyelade highlighted this as evidence of the high priority Governor Seyi Makinde places on the welfare of state workers.
He stated thus:
“Oyo ranks third among states paying the highest minimum wage in Nigeria. Even without the N80,000 minimum wage, the state spends over N77 billion yearly on workers’ salaries, subventions, and wage awards.”
Makinde’s worker-friendly policies
The commissioner emphasised that since 2019, Governor Makinde’s administration has provided workers with various welfare packages, including the timely disbursement of salaries and the payment of the 13th-month salary.
As reported by The Punch, Oyelade backed the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) assertion that Oyo state is the most worker-friendly state in Southern Nigeria.
He cited the record number of new recruitments into the civil service.
“Additionally, workers have enjoyed their 13th-month salary every December since 2019, and December 2024 will be no exception,” he stressed.
Read more on minimum wage:
FG discloses date states implement new minimum wage
Earlier, Legit reported that the federal government assured Nigerian workers of the implementation of the newly approved national minimum wage.
FG assured organised labour that states will implement the wage starting from January 2025, thereby appealing to workers to exercise patience.
Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, made the plea and gave the assurance on Thursday during a meeting with members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCN).
