The Oyo State Government has officially approved a new minimum wage of ₦80,000 for its workforce, following a recommendation from a Technical Committee established by the state. The approval was announced by Prince Dotun Oyelade, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation.
The new salary scale will be implemented once the committee, which includes top officials from both the government and labor unions, completes the necessary consequential adjustments.
In his statement, Oyelade highlighted that recent employment statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) named Oyo State as the most worker-friendly state in Southern Nigeria. This accolade was attributed to a significant decrease in unemployment rates due to extensive hiring across various sectors.
Oyelade also noted that the Makinde administration has ensured timely salary payments, with workers receiving their wages on the 25th of every month since Makinde took office in 2019. He pointed out that the previous minimum wage of ₦30,000 was implemented from the onset of his administration, emphasizing the consistent and timely payment of salaries, pensions, and the provision of a 13th-month salary for both workers and retirees.
Since November 2023, the state has been providing an additional welfare wage award of ₦25,000 to workers and ₦15,000 to pensioners. This measure was introduced to help mitigate the impact of the Federal Government's fuel subsidy removal and has been maintained for over a year.
Furthermore, Oyelade reiterated that Governor Makinde has cleared backlogged gratuities from the years 2008 to 2015 for pensioners and has increased gratuity payments for those under the Local Government Staff Pensions Board, as well as for those managed by the Ministry of Establishment and Training.
Additionally, he mentioned that pensioners unjustly removed from the payroll by the previous administration have been reinstated, and all pensioners now receive an annual Christmas/New Year Chicken Bonus.