The Federal Government started paying N35,000 wage award in addition to the N30,000 minimum wage to workers.
15 states have not implemented this payment, while seven initially paid but then stopped.
The aim of the wage award was to alleviate economic hardship for citizens until a new minimum wage was implemented.
The Nigeria Labour Congress criticized states that have not paid the wage award, citing insensitivity to the suffering of workers.
15 states are paying wage awards ranging from N10,000 to N40,000 to their workers.
Non-paying states are distributed as one in the South-East, four in the South-South, three in the North-East, two in the North-Central, and five in the North-West.
States that paid briefly and stopped include Delta, Niger, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Nasarawa.
States currently paying the wage awards are Lagos, Edo, Bayelsa, Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Kano, Kwara, Cross River, and Taraba.
Tinubu’s plea
President Bola Tinubu, during a working visit to Minna, Niger State in March, encouraged the 36 state governors to initiate the payment of wage awards to workers in their respective states. He emphasized that this action would help ease the hardship in the country.
Notable governors present at the event included Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara. During the visit, President Tinubu specifically addressed AbdulRazaq, who serves as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
“I have been paying wage awards pending determination of the new minimum wage. Let all the sub-nationals start paying that. The wage award, with whatever they are taking now, will relieve the public. I am not giving an order, I am appealing to you sub-nationals. It’s a relief to the people.”
States not paying
Despite the president’s plea, several states have not started implementing wage awards for their employees.
In Delta State, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, announced that the state government plans to establish a committee to address wage-related matters.
He said: “Governor Sheriff Oborevwori said during Workers Day that a committee would be set up to look into it so that, at the end of the day, we can be able to be on the same page with labour and workers; that is the line we are following.”
Osuoza mentioned that the committee will consider examining wage awards along with the minimum wage.
“Anything that has to do with emoluments for workers, the committee will look at it.”
Rivers and Akwa Ibom state governments stated they were awaiting an official declaration by the Federal Government regarding the wage increase, whereas the Delta State government had established a committee to assess workers’ salaries.
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State affirmed that his administration would adopt the new minimum wage for workers once it is implemented.
“We have directed the compilation of casual workers in the state. We will continue to ensure that we support our workers, and we will continue to do our best to make them happy. We will ensure that we continue to improve our workers’ welfare.
“And on the minimum wage, we will wait for the Federal Government and then we will key into it and come to terms with the minimum wage for Akwa Ibom civil servants,” the governor stated on Workers Day.
The Rivers State Government is currently waiting for the results of the tripartite negotiations involving Labour, Organised Private Sector, and the Federal Government regarding the minimum wage. This will help determine the state government’s next steps.
Labour is proposing a minimum wage of N250,000, whereas the Federal Government and OPS have suggested N62,000. President Tinubu, in his Democracy Day address, mentioned that he plans to submit an executive bill to the National Assembly on this matter shortly.
According to Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson;
“With the robust relationship existing between government and workers in the state, we are only waiting for the outcome of ongoing negotiations between Labour and the Federal Government to do the needful. We will take a position when the parties decide what to pay the workers. We will look at the size of our portfolio and decide on what to do.”
President of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Clifford Paul, informed Vanguard that Governor Sim Fubara had sanctioned the disbursement of N35,000 to workers. Paul mentioned that Fubara made this announcement during a meeting with NULGE leadership and principal officers of the local government councils at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
“The governor also approved immediate implementation of the N35,000 wage award approved by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the removal of .”
Alex Agwanwor, the chair of the NLC in the state, expressed regret that the governor had not started implementing the plan due to political distractions.
He said: “The state government has not started the payment but plans have been concluded. The problem we have now is the political unrest in the state. The political distraction in the state is much and I think it is affecting the implementation.
“We are not bothered about that now. It is not our priority now. What the governor is doing for the workers in the state is even more. We cannot assess his performance based on that because he is taking care of the welfare of the workers with a good heart,” he said.
Workers plead with Otti
In Abia state, NLC Chairman Okoro Ogbonnaya appealed to Governor Alex Otti to authorize the payment of the N35,000 wage awards to alleviate the challenges faced by workers due to the severe economic difficulties in the country. Governor Otti assured that he would review the workers’ request and respond promptly.
Kebbi sets up minimum wage committee
In Kebbi State, the state government has not started paying the wage award yet. However, on May 1, 2024, the governor established a committee to develop a sustainable minimum wage for workers.
Borno, Yobe distribute foodstuff, palliatives
While Borno and Yobe states, led by Governors Babagana Zulum and Mai Buni, have not yet paid wage awards to civil servants or pensioners, they have procured and distributed food and non-food items to the people, including civil servants and pensioners, to alleviate economic hardship.
States that paid partially and stopped
Niger State:
Government paying N30,000 minimum wage.
Governor Muhammed Bago gave N20,000 as a one-time palliative to workers.
Inaugurated a committee led by the state Head of Service to determine acceptable minimum wage and salary structure.
Katsina State:
Achieved some compliance in providing palliatives to workers.
Governor Umaru Radda paid N15,000 wage palliative twice to state and local government workers.
Pensioners received N10,000 twice, first in February and second as Ramadan/Sallah package.
Nasarawa State:
Paid workers N10,000 twice as a wage award.
Bauchi State:
Paid N10,000 to civil servants during Sallah celebration.
Provided food items as palliatives at other times.
Plateau State:
Government distributed N12,000 as a palliative to each worker for six months.
States paying wage awards
Edo and Bayelsa states have announced an increase in wages for civil servants.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State surprised workers with a new minimum wage of N70,000 announced on April 29.
The new wage scheme in Edo State started in May with a promise to adjust if the negotiated federal wage was higher.
Bayelsa State also approved wage awards for its workers based on different grade levels.
Workers in Grades 1–14 in Bayelsa received N20,000, those in Grades 15–17 got N30,000, and Permanent Secretaries received N100,000.
The chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Bayelsa, Julius Laye, confirmed the wage increment.
“In Bayelsa State, the payment started last month, although those at the local government received about five months, and it stopped.”
Imo raises wages with N10,000
Governor Hope Uzodinma increased Imo workers’ minimum wage by N10,000, now totaling N40,000.
The Imo State government introduced a free transportation scheme for workers to help offset the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Mbah pays N25000, N10,000 in Enugu
In Enugu, Governor Peter Mbah has been issuing wage awards since December 2023 to state government employees, local government workers, and primary school teachers. The state government pays N25,000 to each state civil servant, while local government employees and primary school teachers receive N10,000. Ben Asogwa, Chairman of the TUC in the state, expressed that workers are pleased with the payments, indicating the governor’s dedication to workers’ welfare.
Ebonyi workers get N10,000 extra
Governor Francis Nwifuru in Ebonyi State increased civil servants’ salaries by N10,000 through a wage award.
Ondo pays N35,000 to workers, N10,000 to pensioners
In Ondo State, the government is granting a N35,000 wage award to workers and N10,000 to pensioners. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Ebenezer Adeniyan, mentioned that the payments commenced in October last year. Adeniyan further explained that although it was initially planned for three months, the governor decided to extend it. Additionally, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration has provided shuttle buses for workers and schoolchildren throughout the state.
Osun pays N15,000 to workers, N10,000 to pensioners
In Osun State, the government pays N15,000 to workers and N10,000 to retirees as a wage award. The governor approved this payment since December 2023 and has been consistently paying this amount up to the present time.
It’s N10,000 in Ogun
The Ogun State government is providing a N10,000 wage award to all workers in the state.
Mr. Lasisi Akeem, Chairman of the TUC in Ogun State, mentioned that the government has been giving a N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants for the last nine months, along with N10,000 to pensioners.
Additionally, 40% of the basic salary of workers in the state has been paid as a Peculiar Allowance by the state government to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Oyo, Kwara, Anambra workers get boost
In Oyo State:
State government pays N25,000 to workers and N15,000 to pensioners.
Governor Seyi Makinde began payments in November 2023.
13th month salary was approved for workers.
Buses were released at subsidized rates to major parts of the state.
Palliatives extended for one year after the initial six months.
In Kwara State:
Civil servants receive N10,000 wage award from the state government.
Payments started after subsidy removal.
In Anambra State:
Governor Chukwuma Soludo paid N12,000 for four months from September to December 2023.
Earlier announced a 10% salary increase starting from January 2023.
Workers expressed disappointment when the wage increase was stopped at the end of the previous year.
NLC chairman requested Governor Soludo to reintroduce the wage increase due to inflation and pending new minimum wage discussions.
Lagos pays N35,000 wage award
Workers in Lagos have been receiving a wage award of N35,000 since December 2023, in addition to the existing minimum wage of N35,000. The Commissioner for Establishment, Training, and Pensions, Afolabi Ayantayo, mentioned that this payment reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s dedication to the welfare of workers.
“This is in addition to a three-day work week for Levels 1-13 civil servants, which was introduced this year. This measure aims to provide relief and flexibility reflecting the state government commitment to the workforce’s well-being,” he added.
Kano, Taraba workers get wage awards
In Kano State, the government has been providing workers with N20,000 and pensioners with N15,000 as wage awards.
In Taraba, the state government is implementing the N30,000 minimum wage and offering workers a salary increment ranging from N10,000 to N15,000.
Governors not paying are insensitive –Labour
In response to the progress, an NLC official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization, stated;
“It is a fact that many state governors are not implementing the wage award which was a product agreement Organised Labour reached with the Federal Government on October 5, 2023. This was a product of the understanding of the huge negative consequences government’s policies had foisted on Nigerian works across the nation. This was supposed to be cascaded down to the states by the governors in a dialogue with NLC and TUC in their respective states.
“Governors that are not complying are mainly those who have continued to demonstrate serious disdain and contempt for the plight of workers who create wealth in their states. It is insensitive for a governor who has adjusted upwards the wages of political appointees in their states to believe that workers do not have the right to have a fair share of the resources of the state.
“It is worthy of note that all the governors are beneficiaries of the increased revenue from FAAC as a result of the hike in the price of PMS which created multiples of revenues to the state treasuries. However, because the welfare of the workers are not prioritized by the governors, they divert them into other projects which sometimes are wasteful.
“It is unfortunate that many Governors have continued to see workers’ salaries as charity which it is not. This has shaped their mindset into believing that salaries are a waste instead of an investment which it should be for the state because when workers are paid well, productivity increases and vice versa.”
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