The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday announced the approval of N85,000 minimum wage for civil servants in the state. This is the third time the governor has approved Lagos workers salary structure since taking office in 2019.
Only in January 2023, the governor began the implementation of a minimum wage which he promised the workers in September, 2022. He once again increased the wages in January, 2024 before Wednesday’s announcement.
The governor who disclosed this while responding to questions on a popular television show on efforts made by his administration to cushion effects of subsidy removal on workers, however said that the decision has to do with peculiar position of the state and affordability by the government.
“It is not a competition. I am not going to say that we are paying more than some people, it is a function of affordability and capacity. We know too well that when people live in Lagos, Lagos has a premium in terms of the cost of living. We are fully aware.
“We also increased our salary earlier in the year. I will want to come back in January and say that I have been able to increase the minimum wage of Lagos to N100,000, not because I want to make anybody look bad, but because I want my people to have a living,” he stated.
The approval of the new wage is coming on the heels of the approval of a N70,000 minimum wage by the federal government after negotiations with labour unions in the country.
He added: “I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we have discussed with our union, is N85,000 today.”
Segun James
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