LAGOS- Oyo State Development Advocacy Group (OSDAG), has lauded Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for the full implementation of new national minimum wage in Nigeria, since the national minimum wage Act was signed into law in April, 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The group in a statement issued by its spokesman, Micheal Ogunsina, on Monday, stated that the government of Oyo State, led by Makinde had added another feather to its numerous achievements, with the full implementation of the N30 000, new minimum wage.

The statement reads, “Oyo State commenced implementation with effect from January, as noted by Comrade Sikiru Bayo Titilola-Sodo, the Oyo State chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who stated with emphasis that workers are not owed any arrears. He said that salaries and all arrears have been paid. He emphatically noted that there were no more arrears. He said that workers have been paid up to date. Titilola-Sodo stated that June salaries were paid on the 26th of last month.”

The statement stressed that, the NLC chairman, however admitted that there were issues related to unpaid allowances and gratuities, which had not been paid in some sectors for eight years, he said, even though he commended Makinde for haven initiated the payment. “The government has started with the payment of 2013.”

While tasking the government on the need to work on areas that could impede effective delivery of dividend of democracy to Oyo people, OSDAG maintained that, its core mandate included, tracking the achievements of the government, in a bid to identify areas that would need improvement. It stressed that, with the full implementation of the new minimum wage, the government of Makinde deserved commendation.

Commending Makinde, the statement further reads, “According to an extensive report done by the National Record, which detailed the implementation of the new minimum wage in all the States of the federation, it also indicated that though in most states, the new national minimum wage may have been technically implemented; it noted, however, that in virtually all the states of the federation, implementation was haphazard and restricted to core civil servants’ states.”

“The report further stated that it took organised Labour and the federal government exactly six months to agree on the consequential adjustment for federal public workers on October 18, 2019, after a belligerent negotiation process.”

“Unfortunately in many states where the governors are effectively in absolute command and control, the consummation of the new minimum wage has remained unimplemented and in limbo due to several roadblocks mounted by the governors”.

Source: Independent

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Group Lauds Makinde For Implementation Of Minimum Wage