Kogi Approves Payment Of N30,000 Minimum Wage

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, yesterday approved the immediate implementation of the N30, 000 new national minimum wage for the state workforce, with partial consequential adjustment.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Folashade Arike-Ayoade, disclosed this after an extensive meeting with the organised labour in Lokoja, the state capital.

Arike-Ayoade explained that the delay in the implementation of the new wage was due to the inability of the constituted working committee to meet regularly, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SSG, however, commended the organised labour for their understanding and patience so far, which, she noted, had resulted in the approval of its implementation.

The Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja, praised the organised labour for their commitment to reaching the agreement amicably, without resorting to strike actions.

“Governor Yahaya Bello is passionate about the welfare of civil servants, and would continue to give priority attention to its workforce,” Onoja said.

The Head of the State Civil Service, Mrs Hannah Odiyo, said: “With the signing of the agreement on the new national minimum wage, the committee had completed its work peacefully, without recourse to strike action.”

The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Onuh Edoka, commended Bello for “taking the bull by the horns in signing the new minimum wage.

“We, indeed, commend the state government for signing the agreement with the mandate of immediate implementation to give civil servants in the state a new lease of life.

“We assure you of civil servants’ commitment to effective productivity in all sectors of the economy,” the chairman said.

The agreement also covers state and local government workforce.

Present at the signing of the agreement were the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Ranti Ojo, state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Adeiza Momoh-jimoh, and chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Tade Adeyemi, among others.