Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, on Friday at the Government House in Minna, revealed plans to increase the minimum wage of civil servants to N80,000.
This development comes after a lengthy meeting with the leadership of the State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
According to Governor Bago, the State’s agricultural efforts will enable the payment of N1 million to civil servants.
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“This is very sustainable. N80,000 is sustainable. We are sure that with our stride in agriculture I am sure we can pay. We are creating civil service farm so that civil servants can be productive. With that, we are sure that we can do both N1 million as minimum wage,” he stated.
The new minimum wage will apply to both state and Local Government civil servants, effective November, as the current month’s salary has already been paid.
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State NLC Chairman, Comrade Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene expressed excitement about the development, noting that Governor Bago exceeded his expectations.
“I feel delighted, and at least Niger State is among the top-ranking states to implement a minimum wage,” Lafene said.
However, he acknowledged that the new minimum wage may not align with the country’s high cost of living, pointing out that N80,000 cannot currently buy a bag of rice.
Despite this, Lafene views the increase as a positive step.
“It is not commensurate with a bag of rice, but at least it is a step forward,” he added.
He emphasized that workers should be pleased with the development, considering the Governor’s commitment to potentially increasing the minimum wage to N1 million.
