By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Good tidings came for employees of the Oyo State government as they will begin to enjoy ₦80,000 minimum wage from January, 2025.
The national minimum wage is N70,000 monthly.
A statement from the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, on Tuesday, disclosed that the state government had reached an agreement with organised labour on the implementation of the minimum wage and consequential adjustments.
The statement said: “Reaching the agreement, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Olanike Adeyemo; and the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, led others in signing for government, while Comrade Kayode Martins of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Comrade Bosun Olabiyi of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), alongside other labour leaders signed for the organised labour.
“The negotiating council agreed that the new minimum wage salary structure shall be effective nominally from July 1st, 2024, but financially from January 1, 2025.”
According to the Commissioner, those who retired between July 1,2024 and December 31, 2024 would have their retirement benefits calculated on the basis of the new minimum wage.
The statement implored all ministries and extra-ministerial departments to be more aggressive in their revenue generation drive to significantly improve the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The Commissioner said already, the state government paid over ₦6 billion monthly on salaries and wages, amounting to over ₦77 billion yearly, making Oyo State the third highest-paying state employers of labour in the country.
“While government workers will begin 2025 with the bumper salary scale across board, they are also waiting to end 2024 with the traditional 13th month salary, as they have enjoyed since 2019 under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration,” Oyelade said.
