Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has set an ambitious target of N1 million as the minimum wage for civil servants in the state.
This announcement was made during a meeting at the Government House in Minna on Friday.
Bago revealed a new minimum wage of N80,000 for state workers, following discussions with the leadership of the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
He expressed confidence that advancements in agriculture would enable the state to support a higher wage in the future, according to Nigerian Tribune.
The governor confirmed that the new minimum wage would apply to both state and local government civil servants, with payments expected to begin in November. He noted that salaries for the current month had already been disbursed.
The chairman of the Niger State NLC, Comrade Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene, expressed enthusiasm about the announcement, stating that the governor had exceeded expectations. He acknowledged, however, that while the new wage of N80,000 was a positive development, it does not fully address the current cost of living, particularly the price of basic necessities.
Lafene emphasized the importance of appreciating the development and noted that the NLC had secured a favorable outcome for workers. He mentioned that the labor union anticipates further developments from the government, reinforcing the governor’s commitment to potentially increase the minimum wage to N1 million in the future.
Governor Umaru Bago, who fielded questions from newsmen after the meeting, said, “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,” Bago said.
The governor assured that the new minimum wage would cut across the state and local government civil servants, noting, “We have already paid this month’s salary and so it will start in November”
“I feel delighted, and at least Niger State is among the top-ranking states to implement a minimum wage,” Lafene said.
” They have to be pleased because we represent them. I think given what is obtainable in Nigeria, we got a good bargain. The governor outweighed our initial demands.
We were projecting that the governor will give us N70,000, N75,000 or N80,000. The governor took the highest amount of N80,000, and we are grateful to him,” he declared.
