The Oyo State Government under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has approved N80,000 as minimum wage for workers in the state.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, made this declaration in a statement issued on Wednesday evening.
Oyelade in the statement, said that the Technical Committee set up by the state government recommended the amount.
He added that the state governor has approved the recommendation.
Oyelade said: “This new scale will be implemented as soon as the consequential adjustments process is completed by the committee which comprises of Government and Labour top officials.”
Highlighting the state’s employment-friendly reputation, Oyelade noted that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently recognised Oyo State as the most worker-friendly in Southern Nigeria, citing a significant reduction in unemployment due to extensive hiring across various sectors.
Oyelade also commended Governor Makinde’s consistent commitment to timely salary payments, stating that workers have received their paychecks promptly on the 25th of each month since the governor took office in 2019.
He explained that the governor introduced the previous minimum wage of N30,000 upon assuming office, alongside ensuring regular pension payments, gratuities, and a 13th-month bonus for both workers and retirees.
Since November 2023, the governor is said to have also been providing a monthly welfare wage supplement of N25,000 to active workers and N15,000 to pensioners.
Oyelade explained that this measure was introduced to alleviate the financial strain caused by the federal government’s fuel subsidy removal, with the administration sustaining these payments to date.
The Commissioner further underscored the government’s commitment to addressing pensioners’ concerns, noting that Makinde has cleared gratuity arrears from 2008 to 2015 and increased gratuity payments.
He concluded that pensioners removed from the payroll by the previous administration have been reinstated, and each year, all retirees receive a festive “Chicken Bonus” during Christmas and New Year.