A new minimum wage of N70,000 has been approved for civil officials in Edo State by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The governor revealed this on Monday at the dedication of the recently built Labour House in Edo state. In line with his statement, the new wage will come into effect on May 1st, 2024. This is happening while the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are at odds over raising the minimum wage to keep up with rising food and national inflation.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that in March 2024, the rate of inflation increased to 33.2 percent from 31.7 percent in February. Also, food inflation climbed from 30% in February to 31.7% in March. The country’s new minimum wage of N615,000 was demanded by the National Labor Council (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The labor unions reached an accord following the January 30 formation of a 37-person panel in the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
The panel’s mandate was to recommend a new national minimum wage, and its membership included representatives from organized labor, the corporate sector, and both federal and state governments. The existing N30,000 minimum wage expires at the end of March 2024, therefore Vice President Shettima requested panel members to “speedily” arrive at a decision and submit their recommendations early.
