The Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, has explained why workers in the state are to earn above the approved national minimum wage.
Mbah, on Thursday, last week, announced that workers in the state were to earn N80,000 per month which is N10,000 above national minimum wage. He cited the workers’ hardwork and sacrifice for the decision to pay them more.
The governor said the new wage, which takes effect from October, includes local government staff, noting that there is a direct link between a motivated workforce and his administration’s vision of growing the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
The new minimum wage was an outcome of a meeting the governor had with the Enugu State Minimum Wage Implementation Committee headed by the Head of Service, Kenneth Ugwu, and labour leaders, including the state’s labour leaders.
Read also: Six governors ready to pay above N70,000 minimum wage
“Few weeks ago, I inaugurated a committee with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in Enugu State. Today, I am happy to announce a new minimum wage for workers in Enugu State, reflecting our fidelity to their welfare, in regard of which we have been resolutely committed,” the governor said.
He added that the government had approved the sum of N80,000 as the new minimum wage in the state, pointing out that the new wage underscores the state’s commitment to bequeathing lasting legacies of improved living conditions.
“Our commitment to improved workers’ welfare runs deep, and it is rooted in the firm understanding of the inextricable link between an inspired workforce and the audacious economic targets we have set our sights on.
“We clearly understood that reducing poverty to the barest minimum and achieving an unprecedented economic growth target were contingent on the output of the workforce. Therefore, for us, the best way to acknowledge that labour creates wealth is by ensuring that the workforce, which creates the wealth that oils the wheel of government, is sufficiently motivated,” he said.
Mbah disclosed that the state government has similarly demonstrated commitment to workers welfare through the consistent payment of the wage awards, a gesture they pledged to sustain until a new wage structure took effect.
Fabian Nwigbo, chairman of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), thanked the governor for always prioritising the welfare of workers, describing the new minimum wage as “a great one for Enugu workers.”
He recalled that, in the past, when minimum wage was announced, it took up to one or two years for anything to happen, adding that when it did, workers took anything they gave them as they saw it, unlike today when the governor has even given them something much higher than national minimum wage.
“But I am not totally surprised because when other governors were paying N12,000 wage award, you were paying us N25,000. When others paid for some months and stopped, you continued paying it until the new minimum wage as you promised. So, we have enjoyed wage award for 11 months and today you announced the minimum wage which is the first of its kind since my 32 years in service,” the labour leader said.
Ben Asogwa, chairman of the state chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said, “we are so happy. The governor did not just announce ₦80,000 minimum wage, but also said that it cascades down to local government workers. He said that he did not want disparity in salary implementation in the state anymore because we all go to the same market.
Asogwa noted that this was the first time in history that workers were seeing the implementation of minimum wage above the approved amount by the federal government, adding, “actually, when we entered into the negotiation, we were afraid because we know quite well that we are not among the states that share in dividends of oil money. We know quite well that we are at the back when it comes to federal allocation, but His Excellency actually surprised us.”
Continuing, he said, “one thing we have seen is that he understands the impact of motivation on productivity. The governor has set a pace and we know that any other person coming after him will have the challenge to meet up with the target he has set.”
Okechukwu Edeh, chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Enugu State Chapter, pledged the commitment of council chairmen to implement the new minimum wage.
“When you motivate workers, they become more productive. What I am promising on behalf of the Enugu ALGON family is that we are going to cascade the new minimum wage to the local government level. Implementation begins immediately,” he said.
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