The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, stated on Monday that the state government is already doing much for its workers. This statement came in response to queries about whether the state could commit to paying a minimum wage of N60,000.
Omotoso emphasized that workers’ welfare is a top priority for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration. He argued that the minimum wage amount should not be a contentious issue.
Last week, governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. In a statement issued on Friday by the NGF’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Halimah Ahmed, the governors stated that the proposed wage was too high and unsustainable.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Government raised the minimum wage for workers to N70,000 in May. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2023 also shows that Lagos, Rivers, and the Federal Capital Territory are among the highest revenue-generating states.
In a telephone interview, Omotoso explained, “In the case of Lagos, what I think we should be talking about is not the capacity because now, if we look at all of the things that Lagos is doing for workers, I think it should be about N45,000, (that is) the wage award by the FG and the increment done last year. We didn’t wait for any general consensus before we did that. Mr. governor promised our workers and he did it. If you calculate everything, the least a Lagos worker is earning is about N45,000, so it’s not for Lagos to say it can pay or not.
“It is about looking at the responsibility of each state, which I think the NGF is considering. I don’t also know of any other state that has the number of civil servants that we have in Lagos. So for us, it’s not about the capacity, it is about the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
“Some of the things that an average Lagos worker is enjoying, nobody is calculating them in naira and kobo, in terms of buses taking our workers to work and home. Recently, the governor approved a 40 percent discount on planning permits for workers. Workers are also getting a substantial quota of the food packs that we’re distributing. They are never left behind.”
