Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has responded to the escalating cost of living by raising the minimum wage for state workers from ₦30,000 to ₦40,000.
This decision was announced by Governor Obaseki in a statement issued on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The move comes in the aftermath of the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy, which has led to a significant surge in food and fuel prices throughout the country.
To alleviate the impact of this policy on Edo State workers, the Governor’s office has pledged to consider further wage increases. The statement, signed by the governor, indicates that if the state receives additional allocation from the Federal Government due to the anticipated savings resulting from the removal of the fuel subsidy, the workers’ wages will be further augmented.
The statement reads in part, “The Edo State Government shares the pains of our people and wants to assure everyone that we are standing with them in these very challenging times.
“We want to reassure our people that we will do all within our powers as a sub-national government to reduce the pains and ameliorate the sufferings our people are currently facing due to the current realities.
“As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo State from the approved N30,000 to N40,000, the highest in the country today.”
He added: “The governor the policy has radically increased the cost of transportation, eating deep into the wages of workers in the State. Therefore, the Edo State Government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week till further notice. Workers will now work from home two days every week.”
