Nigerian gov announces N90,000 as new minimum wage

Barely two days after Imo State set its minimum wage at N104,000, Ebonyi State has followed suit with an upward review of its own pay structure as Governor Francis Nwifuru has approved a new minimum wage of N90,000 for state workers, up from the previous N70,000.

The announcement came on Thursday through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebe, who briefed journalists after the State Executive Council meeting.

Omebe said the decision reflects the administration’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare and will take effect immediately, covering every category of employee.

“We want to state categorically that this is not a political statement, as this government does not toy with workers’ welfare.

“The government has offset the pension and gratuities of state retirees from its creation in 1996 to date.

“The verification process for retirees in the Local Government Areas had commenced, and when completed, the payment will be made,” he said.

He further noted that the administration’s record of meeting financial obligations proves it is serious about workers’ wellbeing.“If the government did not play politics with such huge financial obligations, it would not do so with additional N20,000 to workers.

“The governor is a leader, builder of capacity, human beings and infrastructure.“The government is anchored on the biblical people’s charter of needs mantra which is leading the people according to their needs,” he added.

Omebe also revealed that the council approved enforcement of the eight-year tenure limit for directors, which will see the immediate retirement of those who have served the maximum term.“The EXCO exhaustively deliberated on the issue and approved its implementation for the affected permanent secretaries and directors,” he said.