Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has announced a significant increase in the minimum wage for civil servants, raising it to N70,000, effective May 1st, 2024.
The governor made this declaration during the inauguration of the new Labour House in Edo state on Monday.
This move comes amidst ongoing debates and negotiations between the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Federal Government regarding adjustments to the minimum wage to address rising national inflation and food prices.
In March 2024, the inflation rate surged to 33.2 per cent, up from 31.7 per cent in February, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Food inflation also escalated to 31.7 per cent in March from 30 per cent in February.
Previously, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had proposed a new minimum wage of N615,000 for workers across the country.
To address this issue, President Bola Tinubu established a 37-member panel led by Vice President Kashim Shettima on January 30, tasked with recommending a new national minimum wage.
Shettima emphasized the urgency of reaching a resolution during the panel’s inaugural meeting, as the current N30,000 minimum wage was set to expire at the end of March 2024.
