…our state can’t afford new wage, says Governor-elect
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has assured the state’s workforce of his administration’s resolve to pay the N30,000 minimum wage recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari without delay.
As soon as the ongoing negotiations initiated by labour leaders with the government were concluded and documented, the governor said that the enhanced salaries would be paid to elevate the living condition of the workers.
The governor stated this in a speech read by his Deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo, at this year’s May Day rally, which was held at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Thanking the workers for their dedication and support in the past eight years, the governor said that they were the engine room of his administration’s successful implementation of its restoration, transformation and repositioning agenda.
He used the occasion to assure workers affected by the recently-concluded certificate verification that those with genuine cases would be given a second opportunity to prove their innocence, stressing that those unable to defend their credentials would not be spared.
Ajimobi said, “I congratulate the workers on the new minimum wage, which has just been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“At the instance of the labour unions, government very recently held a meeting on the issue of the National Minimum Wage Law 2019, in furtherance of our responsibility as an employer of labour and indeed our exemplary government-labour relations.
“I wish to restate the commitment of the government of Oyo State to honouring the Minimum Wage Act as soon as ongoing negotiations are concluded and necessary templates and documentation are issued.
“I charge all workers to reciprocate the various good gestures of the state government by being more dedicated, proactive and punctual at their duty posts for increased productivity. The public service is no longer a dumping ground for people with mediocre ability. We all must stand up and stand right to reposition the system for better service delivery.
“The state government has approved that those that were affected by the recently concluded Certification Verification Exercise be given a second chance to re-verify their claims. Those with very genuine cases would be reconsidered, because we have no interest in punishing innocent people.
Meanwhile, Oyo Governor-Elect, Seyi Makinde, has said his state cannot pay the new National Minimum Wage of N30,000 just signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, state governments ought to have been allowed to negotiate the new minimum wage for their workers as the condition of living varies from state to state.
Briefing journalists in Abuja after the induction programme for returning and newly elected governors, Makinde said that he intended to renegotiate the implementation of the new minimum wage with the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Assessing Oyo’s ability to pay the legal N30,000 minimum wage, the Governor-Elect stated: “It has been signed into law. I personally believe that individual states should have been allowed to negotiate this because conditions of living in Lagos are obviously not the same as living in Ibadan.
“And I will definitely say without fear or favour that it’s part of the reasons why we are thinking of restructuring. That’s a federal system of government.
“We have a federation but the state governments I believe, are no subordinate to the federal government. They are coordinate governments.
“Then, when the federal government makes a law that says ‘well, we are going to pay 30,000 as minimum wage,’ what’s the condition in my state? Can we support it? I don’t think.
“We are going to engage the Nigeria Labour Congress in my state and we see how we go from there”.
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has assured the state’s workforce of his administration’s resolve to pay the N30,000 minimum wage recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari without delay.
As soon as the ongoing negotiations initiated by labour leaders with the government were concluded and documented, the governor said that the enhanced salaries would be paid to elevate the living condition of the workers.
The governor stated this in a speech read by his Deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo, at this year’s May Day rally, which was held at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Thanking the workers for their dedication and support in the past eight years, the governor said that they were the engine room of his administration’s successful implementation of its restoration, transformation and repositioning agenda.
He used the occasion to assure workers affected by the recently-concluded certificate verification that those with genuine cases would be given a second opportunity to prove their innocence, stressing that those unable to defend their credentials would not be spared.
Ajimobi said, “I congratulate the workers on the new minimum wage, which has just been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“At the instance of the labour unions, government very recently held a meeting on the issue of the National Minimum Wage Law 2019, in furtherance of our responsibility as an employer of labour and indeed our exemplary government-labour relations.
“I wish to restate the commitment of the government of Oyo State to honouring the Minimum Wage Act as soon as ongoing negotiations are concluded and necessary templates and documentation are issued.
“I charge all workers to reciprocate the various good gestures of the state government by being more dedicated, proactive and punctual at their duty posts for increased productivity. The public service is no longer a dumping ground for people with mediocre ability. We all must stand up and stand right to reposition the system for better service delivery.
“The state government has approved that those that were affected by the recently concluded Certification Verification Exercise be given a second chance to re-verify their claims. Those with very genuine cases would be reconsidered, because we have no interest in punishing innocent people.
Meanwhile, Oyo Governor-Elect, Seyi Makinde, has said his state cannot pay the new National Minimum Wage of N30,000 just signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, state governments ought to have been allowed to negotiate the new minimum wage for their workers as the condition of living varies from state to state.
Briefing journalists in Abuja after the induction programme for returning and newly elected governors, Makinde said that he intended to renegotiate the implementation of the new minimum wage with the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Assessing Oyo’s ability to pay the legal N30,000 minimum wage, the Governor-Elect stated: “It has been signed into law. I personally believe that individual states should have been allowed to negotiate this because conditions of living in Lagos are obviously not the same as living in Ibadan.
“And I will definitely say without fear or favour that it’s part of the reasons why we are thinking of restructuring. That’s a federal system of government.
“We have a federation but the state governments I believe, are no subordinate to the federal government. They are coordinate governments.
“Then, when the federal government makes a law that says ‘well, we are going to pay 30,000 as minimum wage,’ what’s the condition in my state? Can we support it? I don’t think.
“We are going to engage the Nigeria Labour Congress in my state and we see how we go from there”.xx
