Kogi State Governor, Alhai Ahmed Ododo on Monday threw workers of the state into a frenzy when he approved N72,500 as minimum wage for workers with immediate effect
The N72,500 wage is N2,500 higher than what the Federal Government and other stakeholders approved in July for workers in both private and public sectors.
Ododo also gave tax relief to all the workers in the state for the next year adding that no any Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax nor any form of deductions would be made within the next year.
While receiving a report from the state minimum wage implementation committee, headed by the Head of Service, Mr. Elijah Avenemi, the governor said he was more committed to the overall welfare of all cadres of workers in the state.
Having been a labour leader and a civil servant before going into partisan politics, Ododo said that he knew what the civil servants were going through and that now that God had made him the governor, he would do all within the state resources to provide succour for the state workforce.
He said: “I can not forget where I came from, I am a man from a humble background who became who I am by the grace of God and will therefore not use my position to oppress anyone but to better the lots of the people.
“You people generously elected me as your governor, and the resources of the state belong to you all, I am just your chief servant and I will ensure that the resources are allocated to all sectors fairly and equitably.
“All you have seen today is the painstaking efforts of the labour leaders and government who conducted staff audit screenings in the previous administration all in a bid to ensure that the right people take what belongs to them as workers and not ghost workers”.
The governor called on the workers to continue to cooperate with his administration and give him all the necessary support to succeed assuring them of their prompt payment of their salaries.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Gabriel Amari, who spoke on behalf of the organised labour in the state, commended the governor for all his efforts and described him as the best workers’ friendly governor the state has ever had.
The NLC chairman, who expressed surprise with the seamless efforts at which the implementation committee arrived at the new minimum wage, said some states were yet to set up an implementation committee, while Kogi, which set up its committee on 17 September has come out in less than a month with a minimum wage that gives joy to the workers.
On behalf of the workers, Amari promised to be more committed to their duties and to continue to cooperate with the governor to carry out his good plans for the state.
