Edo state workers have begun to enjoy an upscale salary scheme of N70,000 new minimum wage unlike their counterparts in Abia State who furthered their lamentation on Sunday.
Chris Nehikhare, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage to the state workers, saying it further demonstrates the commitment of the Obaseki-led administration to the welfare of Edo workers.
He said, “The Edo State Government has paid the May salaries of workers in the state, reflecting the implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage.
“This is in fulfilment of the promise made by Governor Godwin Obaseki to increase the minimum wage from N40,000 to N70,000 beginning this May, as part of efforts to cushion the impacts of the harsh economy occasioned by fuel subsidy removal and other economic decisions by the Federal Government.
“It is also in furtherance of the commitment of the state government to meet its statutory obligation even before the end of the month.”
The commissioner urged workers to be committed to their duties, while contributing effectively to ensuring the governor’s administration ends on a good note, and to reciprocate the gesture by the state government to their welfare.
Workers in Abia have been victims of the non-implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage adjusted by former President Munhammudu Buhari in 2019, which some state governments have refused to implement.
Also adding to their plight is the non-implementation of the N35,000 palliative wage award by the President Bola Tinubu administration as part of measures to cushion the biting impact of the harsh economy, particularly following the subsidy removal of premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.
Abia State is one of about 15 others which reports have revealed have failed to implement the N30,000 minimum wage review since 2019.
However, workers in Edo State will now have an upward review in what seems like a fairer lot, as the state government moves ahead of the federal government and other States in the minimum wage review implementation.
Recall that during the recent inauguration of the Labour House in Benin City, the state capital, Governor Godwin Obaseki announced the increase of the minimum wage for workers in the state from N40,000 to N70,000 to cushion the impacts of the harsh economy on the people of the state.