Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State, has approved a new minimum salary of N70,000 for State workers. This announcement was made during the launch of the new Labour House in Edo State on Monday, 29 April 2024. The new wage is set to take effect on May 1st, 2024.

It’s worth noting that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is currently embroiled in a battle with the Federal Government over raising the minimum wage to combat the rapid rise in both food and national inflation.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that the inflation rate for March 2024 hit 33.2%, from 31.70% in February. Additionally, food inflation increased from 30% in February to 31.7% in March. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) had called for N615,000 to be the new national minimum wage for labourers.

The labour unions agreed to the January 30 formation of a 37-member in the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

The committee, which included representatives from Organised Labour, the Commercial Sector, and the Federal and State Governments, was entrusted with proposing a new national minimum wage.

Shettima asked committee members to “quickly” come to a decision and turn in their reports as soon as possible because the present N30,000 minimum salary expires at the end of March 2024. This was stated at the committee’s inaugural meeting.

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