Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago announced that the state is aiming for a minimum wage of N1 million for civil servants.
He made this statement on Friday at the Government House while introducing a new minimum wage of N80,000 for the state workforce.
This announcement followed an extensive meeting with the leadership of the state’s Nigeria Labour Congress.
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The governor said, “This N80,000 is sustainable. We are sure that with our stride in agriculture, we can pay. We are creating civil service farm so that civil servants can be productive. With that, we are sure that we can do N1 million as minimum wage.”
The governor assured that the new minimum wage would apply to both state and local government civil servants, noting that October’s salary has already been paid. He stated that the new minimum wage will take effect in November.
Idrees Lafene, the NLC chairman in the state, expressed his excitement about the development, stating that the governor exceeded his expectations.
The chairman who admitted that N80,000 was not commensurate with the high cost of living noted that the money couldn’t buy a bag of rice as of now. “It is not commensurate with a bag of rice but at least, it is a step forward,” he added.