Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah has approved ₦80,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the state.
Mbah announced this at the Government House after receiving the report of the committee set up to look into the minimum wage issues late Thursday evening.
According to him, the new wage for the state’s workforce including local government workers takes effect from October 2024, and noted a direct link between a motivated workforce and his administration’s vision of growing the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn.
“Few weeks ago, I inaugurated a committee with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in Enugu State,” Mbah said.
“Today, I’m happy to announce a new minimum wage for workers in Enugu State, reflecting our fidelity to their welfare, in regard of which we have been resolutely committed.”
“We have approved the sum of N80,000 as the new minimum wage in Enugu State. This underscores our commitment to bequeathing lasting legacies of improved living conditions.”
“Our commitment to improved workers welfare runs deep, and is rooted in the firm understanding of the inextricable link between an inspired workforce and the audacious economic targets we had set our sights on.”
“We clearly understood that reducing poverty to the barest minimum and achieving an unprecedented economic growth target were contingent on the output of the workforce.”
“Therefore, for us, the best way to acknowledge that labour creates wealth is by ensuring that the workforce which creates the wealth that oils the wheel of government, is sufficiently motivated. We have similarly demonstrated our commitment to workers welfare through the consistent payment of the wage awards, a gesture we had pledged to sustain until a new wage structure took effect.”
Still in the verbal process, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, thanked governor Mbah for always prioritizing the welfare of workers, describing the new minimum wage as ‘A great one for Enugu workers.’
“In the past, when minimum wage is announced, it takes up to one or two years for anything to happen, and when it did, we took anything they gave us as we saw it. But today, you have even given us something much higher than national minimum wage,” Nwigbo stated.
“But I am not totally surprised because when other governors were paying N12,000 wage award, you were paying us N25,000.”
“When others paid for some months and stopped, you continued paying it until the new minimum wage as you promised.”
“So, we have enjoyed wage award for 11 months and today you announced the minimum wage which is the first of its kind since my 32 years in service.”
Several governors have also approved new minimum wage for their workers recently after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law, increasing workers baseline pay from N30,000 to N70,000.
On Wednesday, Umo Eno, Akwa Ibom governor, announced a new minimum wage of N80,000 for civil servants in the state.
On October 16, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the minimum wage for public sector workers in the nation’s commercial capital would be N85,000.
Similarly, On October 18th, Rivers State Governor, Siminalaye Fubara approved the payment of N85,000 as new minimum wage for its workforce.
On October 23rd, Kebbi Governor, Idris approved N75,000 as the minimum wage for the lowest-paid civil servant in the state.
