Edo State to Lead with Highest Minimum Wage, Governor Obaseki Assures Workers

Should any of the 36 states in Nigeria announce a higher minimum wage than the national figure of ₦70, 000 approved recently by the federal government, the government of Edo State would top it up. This was the vow made by the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday when he addressed the state’s workforce at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Recall that Governor Obaseki had, months ahead of the federal government, increased the state’s minimum wage to ₦70,000 from the ₦40, 000 it was paying before.
But speaking at a meeting with civil and public servants in the state where he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the welfare of workers in the state, the governor pledged that his administration would ensure that no worker in the country earns better than those in the state’s employ, stressing that government’s investment in the workers was part of efforts to ensure that they were adequately motivated and empowered to deliver effective service to Edo people.
Commending the workers for their relentless contributions to the development of the state, the governor said his government had ensured that the workers were provided with a conducive working environment and incentives befitting of their immense contributions to the growth of the state.
According to Obaseki, the state government under his leadership, had trained over 2,700 civil and public servants on digitization, information technology, and digital transformation, among others, as part of ongoing efforts to drive the government’s digital economy plans and ensure the use of technology in processing government’s transactions and activities.
He further stated that his government had built and strengthened institutions that will ensure the sustainability of the e-governance reforms and other laudable initiatives of his administration in the state’s civil and public service.
Obaseki stated, “The new Edo will be driven by you, using technology. One of the considerations for promotion is that you have taken training on one aspect of technology to enable you to move to the next level. We will retain you in the service by improving your conditions of service and ensuring no state pays wages that are higher than that of Edo State”.
The governor, who leaves office November 11, 2024, said “I will continue to work until my last day as a governor to ensure everything we started in the last eight years is sustained”.