The Imo State Government has announced an increase in the minimum wage from N76,000 to N104,000 for civil servants, effective immediately.
Governor Hope Uzodimma, announced this on Wednesday during a meeting with labour leaders at the Government House in Owerri, the state capital.
The governor also announced the approval of N16 billion for the immediate clearance of all outstanding gratuities owed to pensioners in the state.
The gesture attracted commendation from the labour leaders who sang solidarity songs and described it as a historic step towards improving the lives of workers and retirees in the state.
Present at the meeting were the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Uche Chigemezu, the state Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Uchenna Ibe, the state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Comrade Josiah Ugochukwu, and the state Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Comrade Barth Echeta.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law, ending months of deliberations between government authorities, labour unions, and the private sector
He signed it at the State House in Abuja days after the National Assembly passed the Minimum Wage Act, 2019, to increase the National Minimum Wage from ₦30,000 to N70,000.
However, some state governors increased the minimum wage for civil servants in their respective states.
In October 2024, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the state would pay N85,000 as minimum wage to its workers, N15,000 higher than the N70,000 approved by the Federal Government in July 2024.
Sanwo-Olu had explained that the state was not paying N85,000 to outdo others but because it had the capacity to do so.
Similarly, the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Bayelsa state governments announced that they would pay a new minimum wage of N80,000 for state government employees.
In November 2024, the Osun State Government approved N75,000 as the minimum wage for its workers.
