Governments of Ogun, Delta, Benue, Taraba and Akwa Ibom have reaffirmed their commitments to the welfare of workers in their states.
On the occasion of the 2024 Workers’ Day, the states hinted at a review of wages for the workers.
The Governor of Taraba, Dr. Agbu Kefas, while addressing workers at Jalingo’s Jolly Nyame Stadium emphasised that the economic hurdles would not hinder efforts to uplift both workers and retirees in the state.
He said, “Workers are the backbone of our society, contributing tirelessly with their time, skills, and efforts to sustain our economy and provide essential services for our people.
“Recognising their pivotal role, my administration is deeply committed to fostering job satisfaction, fair compensation, and creating avenues for career growth,” he said.
The Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, says his administration would set up a committee to look into workers’ demand for salary increases given the current hardship in the country.
The governor stated this during his address at the 2024 Workers’ Day celebration at the Cenotaph, Asaba, on Wednesday.
The May Day celebration with the theme, “People First,” was a carnival-like celebration in the state and featured a march past by the various affiliate unions in the state.
Oborevwori said, “I have listened attentively to your requests and I have taken note of same; they are, no doubt, legitimate demands and as a responsible government, I will deliberate with my team on how best to address them within the limits of resources available to us.
“As a government, we have prioritised the welfare of our workforce because I believe that a happy and well-motivated workforce is not only a catalyst for the growth and industrial development of any society but also the bedrock for extended family setting and communal cohesion.”
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, granted the many requests of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress during the May Day celebration.
One of the requests is the promise to implement the national minimum wage.
Governor Eno who stated this on Wednesday in Uyo while addressing workers during the May Day celebration at the Uyo Township stadium, promised to put the people first in governance.
He promised to recruit more healthcare workers to man the Primary Healthcare Centres
“Today, I believe we have fulfilled those promises and the many others you have made, we will look into them.
“As of today, permit me to mention that we have disbursed about 16.1bn in the payment of gratuities of retired state civil servants, primary school teachers, and local government workers.
“As I stand here today, I am approving another N2bn for the payment of gratuities across boards for April. We will continue to monitor this payment to be sure it is going to the right people. We have authorised and paid the three months wage award. We have released 2023 promotions, and we have increased pensions for retirees that retirees before 2012.
“On the minimum wage, we wait on the Federal Government and then, we would key into it and come to terms with the minimum wage for Akwa Ibom civil servants,” he stated.
Earlier, the State Chairman of the NLC, Sunny James, appealed to Governor Umo Eno to implement the National minimum wage in the state while commending his achievements in office in eleven months.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Trade Union Congress, Dominic Abang, urged the governor to tackle fraud in pension administration and institutionalise a pension framework by establishing a pensions board.
On his part, the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, said that his administration would do all in its power to come up with a decision on the new minimum wage soon.
Gov Abiodun said this at a meeting with labour leaders in the state held with a view to arriving at a decision that is favourable to both the government and the workers.
The governor said that his administration had paid a total of N128.3bn as pensions and gratuities to both local and state government retirees in the state within the last five years.
Abiodun said, “On minimum wage, your ever-responsive administration has done a lot of work, which is aimed at arriving at a position that we can sustain in line with our inclusive style of governance.
“We will soon be calling a meeting with the organised labour leaders to finalise the Ogun State Government minimum decision.”
Abiodun noted that the state government had paid N2.8bn as leave bonuses to workers, while a sum of N13.4bn outstanding deductions had been paid to workers.
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, assured workers in the state of his administration’s priority to their welfare.
He promised that his government would implement the minimum wage the Federal Government and the organised labour agreed to.