Economic hardship: Lagos will pay N85,000 minimum wage for civil servants – Sanwo-Olu
…Hints at possible increment to N100,000 by Jan 2025
…Emphasises govt’s commitment to employees’ welfare, workforce support
By Sodiq Adelakun
The Lagos State government has set a new minimum wage for civil servants at N85,000, surpassing the federal government’s recently approved rate of N70,000.
This announcement was made yesterday by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during an interview with Channels Television.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu said that the decision to raise the minimum wage reflects the economic realities faced by residents in Lagos.
“It is a function of affordability and capacity,” he stated, emphasising the heightened cost of living in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
He further mentioned that the move was reached collaboratively with labour unions, underscoring the government’s intention to support its workforce amid prevailing economic challenges.
“I’m glad to announce that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we have discussed with our unions, is N85,000 today. It is not a competition; we know too well that when people live in Lagos, it has a premium in terms of cost of living,” Sanwo-Olu noted.
Looking ahead, the governor expressed optimism about further wage increases, hinting at a possibility of raising the minimum wage to N100,000 by January next year, contingent on the state’s financial capacity.
“We increased our salary earlier in the year and would like to come in January and say I’ve been able to increase the minimum wage in Lagos to N100,000,” he added.
This wage adjustment comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s announcement in July, which set the national minimum wage at N70,000, amid soaring inflation rates and economic turmoil worsened by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Recall that the inflation rate hit a staggering 34.19 percent as of June 2024, marking a 28-year high, with food inflation surpassing 40 percent.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s government is also prioritising improvements in the transport sector, revealing plans to establish rail connections across all five districts in Lagos, aiming to enhance public transport infrastructure and accessibility.
