Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has ordered 86% salary increase for workers with the implementation of the new minimum wage.

This is according to a statement by the Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade.

He said with the payment of N80,000 minimum wage from January 1, 2025, the state government will pay workers the sum of N11.9 billion monthly, instead of the current N6.4 billion.

According to the statement, Oyelade stated this when he received the state chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Kayode Martins, in his office, on Tuesday.

The commissioner said that Governor Seyi Makinde is determined to cater for the welfare of workers, while not compromising the welfare of the generality of the people and the critical sectors.

Oyelade further explained that with the monthly increment of 86% in salaries and wages for workers from N6.4 billion to N11.9 billion, Oyo State Government is now committed to the payment of over N143 billion on salaries and wages annually.

He noted that Makinde is giving more to workers in the state beyond expectation, adding that the governor has done more than what any other administration has ever done.

“Governor Makinde proactively announced a four year promotion of workers in order to avert the promotion crisis that had been on the ground before he came into office in 2019,” the commissioner stated.

Responding, Martins said the N80,000 minimum wage and its consequential adjustments in Oyo State is more favourable to workers across all grade levels when compared with other states, including the federal government.

The NLC chairman added that Makinde, whom he referred to as “workers’ governor,” has been consistent in his love for workers.

“Oyo was the first state to implement the old N30,000 minimum wage and also started negotiating a new minimum wage with labour leaders even before the Federal Government approved the N70,000 minimum wage,” he said.

Martins noted that while the federal government added N40,000 across board for its workers as consequential adjustments and Ogun State added N42,000 across board on its consequential adjustments to the new minimum wage, Oyo which has the largest number of workers in the South West and just concluded the process of recruiting 23,000 more workers to its workforce, has done more for its workers.

He said the present Oyo State table sees the movement of workers on Grade levels 1 to 6 from N30,000 to N80,000, translating to a N50,000 increment on the salary scale.

The labour leader said level 7 and above now enjoy increments of N70,000, N80,000, N90,000 and even over N180,000 being added to workers salaries on the consequential adjustment table.

“The graphic implication of this for instance, is that government worker on Grade Level 17 earning N170,000 per month will now earn N360,000,” Martins said.

He emphasised that no state in Nigeria has done this.

The NLC chairman further said the motivation civil and public servants receive in the prompt payment of salaries on the 25th of every month is unquantifiable in boosting the morale of workers and the state’s economy.

Martins stressed that the cordial relationship between Makinde and labour unions was evident in the last industrial action embarked upon by the national body of the unions on December 2, where Oyo State was exempted.