The Federal Government has urged state governors to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000 if they have not done so already.
This appeal was made by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, during a press briefing on Monday following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
Akume emphasized that the federal government is committed to ensuring that workers receive equitable compensation. He noted that President Tinubu prioritized the minimum wage issue at the beginning of his administration, establishing a special committee that included representatives from the federal government, state governors, and the private sector. This committee was tasked with reviewing and agreeing on a fair wage, ultimately leading to the approval of the N70,000 minimum wage.
While some states have already started disbursing the new wage—and a few have gone above N70,000—others have yet to comply. Akume commended the states that have implemented the increase and urged others to follow suit without delay.
He stated, “The issue of the new minimum wage has always been central to the thinking of the government of President Bola Tinubu, and that was why he quickly put in place a tripartite arrangement to look at all the issues, and this was properly carried out.”
According to Akume, the tripartite arrangement included representatives from the governors, the federal government, and the organized private sector, which facilitated the determination of the new minimum wage.
“We are very satisfied with it and some state governments have started implementing. Others have even gone beyond N70,000. So I believe that there’s no problem with that whatsoever,” he added.
He also expressed appreciation for those states that have already begun payment of the new minimum wage, stating, “We applaud those who have started. Those who have not started, we just want to appeal to them to start the payment.”
States currently disbursing the new minimum wage include Ogun, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kebbi, Osun, Enugu, Borno, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara, Gombe, Kano, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Jigawa, Abia, Edo, Lagos, Adamawa, and Akwa Ibom. The federal government is hopeful that all states will soon align with the new wage policy to ensure fair compensation for workers across the nation.
