Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Monday, approved the sum of N77,000 as the minimum wage for the lowest worker in the state, and the payment takes immediate effect.

This decision was revealed after a meeting of the state Government led by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, and the leadership of the Organised Labour in Ogun state, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and the Joint Negotiating Council to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Talabi said, “The meeting is at the instance of Governor Abiodun, who has directed that no worker in the state should earn less than N77,000 starting from October.

“The governor means well for the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to further ameliorate the suffering of the people.”

He added that “the governor has also advised the organized private sector to take a cue from the policy, as their workers are not exempted from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state holistically.”

The SSG also noted that Abiodun has therefore advised that the private sector should dialogue with their relevant stakeholders to arrive at a commensurate minimum wage for the sector while he will set up a monitoring team to see how it is implemented by the private sector to ensure no one is short-changed.

On his part, the state NLC Chairman, Hameed Benco, said the organised labour in the state is very pleased with the governor having approved the N77,000 in consultation with labour leaders, which today is the highest in the country.

Benco noted that some states that have implemented the new minimum wage are paying N70,000, while some pay N70,250 or less, adding that the other sectorial salaries will be affected accordingly.

He also mentioned that the government has graciously approved the submission of labour and that the new basic salary should not be taxed.

In the same vein, Comrade Akeem Lasisi of the TUC and his counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude of the JNC, commended the government for being worker-friendly, while they noted that consequential adjustments for pensioners and other matters will be announced after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

In his reaction, Ogun State Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, said the approval of the generous minimum wage for workers underscores the responsiveness and sensitivity of the Governor and the government to the plight of the workers and the general populace of the state.

Onasanya expressed optimism that the gestures by the government will further boost the morale of the workers in committing themselves to the implementation of the government’s policies.