Twenty-seven states and Abuja are yet to establish committees to implement the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage, despite President Bola Tinubu signing it into law on July 29, 2024.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law after meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
However, seven states – Kano, Kwara, Ogun, Borno, Jigawa, Ondo, and Abia – have taken the lead by setting up implementation committees.
Only Lagos and Edo claim to have started paying the minimum wage, with Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, stating that the state has been paying more than the minimum wage before it was passed into law.
Omotoso, said the state had been paying more than the minimum wage before it was passed into law.
He said, “When you look at the minimum wage that was paid in Lagos before, the least state worker earned about N77,000. So, if they said the minimum wage is now N70,000, we have no problem with it at all because Lagos has been paying more than that, and we will continue to pay.”
The remaining states are slowly following suit, with Kwara State setting up an 18-member tripartite committee, Kano State establishing an advisory committee, and Jigawa State setting up a 10-man minimum wage committee. Borno State has also inaugurated a 22-member panel, while Ondo State’s committee is working hard to ensure implementation. Oyo State set up a committee a few months ago to advise the government on the matter.
The slow implementation of the minimum wage has raised concerns, but it remains to be seen how quickly the remaining states will follow suit.
