Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has signed a new minimum wage of ₦104,000 for state workers, becoming one of the highest paying states in Nigeria.
The news was broached at night on Tuesday during a meeting with labour union leaders at the Government House, Owerri.
As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Uzodimma explained that the review of wage was in line with his administration’s efforts towards enhancing workers’ well-being and economic growth.
Minimum wage under the new framework increases from ₦76,000 to ₦104,000, while salaries for doctors move from ₦215,000 to ₦503,000. Lecturers at institutions of higher learning will now take home ₦222,000, an increase from ₦119,000.
There is no way any government will succeed if it does not possess a friendly and good relationship with the organised labour,” Uzodimma declared.
The state’s improved financial status was the reason for the increase in pay, said the governor, citing an increase in internally generated revenue (IGR) from ₦400 million to over ₦3 billion every month, as well as a decline in the debt profile of the state from over ₦280 billion in 2020 to less than ₦100 billion.
He also credited President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy for increasing federal allocations to states, adding that the key challenge now was ensuring that the gains of the policy reached ordinary citizens.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people,” the governor said.
Uzodimma also announced that the state government would commence payment of the last batch of pension gratuities amounting to ₦16 billion from August 27.
In his response, Imo State chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, received the wage increase as a “victory for the workforce,” assuring that workers would repay the governor’s generosity with greater devotion and efficiency.
