Following the Lagos State government’s announcement of an N85,000 minimum wage, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has implemented the same increase for state civil servants.
In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, Governor Fubara announced the decision after a closed-door meeting with representatives of organized labor. The agreement was reached during a meeting held at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Dr. George Nwaeke, Head of Rivers State Civil Service, confirmed the new minimum wage of N85,000.00, which will take effect in November 2024. He emphasized that this increase significantly surpasses the national minimum wage and demonstrates the governor’s commitment to the welfare of state employees.
Nwaeke stated: “He (Fubara) has announced a figure that is higher than the National Minimum Wage. He has set a sum of N85,000.00, which is above the minimum wage prescribed nationally.
“As the Head of Service and a major stakeholder in the labour family, I am very pleased to say that Rivers State civil servants have never had it this good since the inception of this state.
“The labour union leaders and all the other major stakeholders were pleased with this development.
“Issues of arrears will be worked out by the committee, of which I will be Deputy to the SSG. We are already preparing to work on it in a technical committee that will examine the specifics of the payment and inform the press later.”
The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Rivers State Chapter, Alex Agwanwor, commended Governor Fubara for his leadership and commitment to workers’ rights. He noted that Rivers State has now surpassed Lagos State as the state with the highest minimum wage for civil servants in Nigeria.
Agwanwor said: “Why do I say that? Lagos State has set N85,000.00, and Rivers State is now paying N85,000.00. The IGRs of Lagos State and Rivers State are not the same. So, for the Governor to agree to pay the same rate as Lagos, it means we are at the top.
“We are the best, and we want to continue commending the governor. We assure him that, as far as this state is concerned, labour will stand with him. We will support him for the next eight years.
“I want to commend His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, our Number One Worker in Rivers State; he has, once again, proven that the workers in Rivers State awarded him on May Day as the Champion of Labour, the Most Labour-Friendly Governor in Nigeria. He has shown that to us once again today, and I want to commend him.”
The agreement between Rivers State government and organized labor comes amid ongoing negotiations between other state governments and labor unions regarding the implementation of the recently approved N70,000 national minimum wage.
