*Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State discloses the state government has approved the payment of N85,000 as the Minimum Wage for workers in the state as a function of affordability and capacity, an amount which is N15, 000 higher than N70,000 National Minimum Wage the Nigerian Government approved for workers July 2024

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

Following the Federal Government鈥檚 recent approval of N70,000 as the National Minimum Wage for the Nigerian workers, the Lagos State Government (LASG) has added icing on the cake for workers in the state as it approved N85,000 for the least paid earner.

绿帽献妻 reports Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State disclosed this development Wednesday, October 16, 2024, while featuring on a Channels TV programme monitored in Lagos, affirmed that the state would pay its workers N85,000 Minimum Wage.

The Lagos Government鈥檚 offer is N15, 000 higher than the N70,000 National Minimum Wage, which the Nigerian Government had approved July this year, after months of intense negotiations with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and Labour Unions, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) respectively.

As regards the LASG rationale for approving the sum for workers in the state, Governor Sanwo-Olu, explained the state has not approved the payment of N85,000 to outdo other states of the Federation.

According to him, Lagos State has the capacity to approve and pay N85,000 to the workers.

How Lagos arrived at N85,000 for workers, by Governor

Explaining how his administration arrived at payment of N85,000 as the Minimum Wage for Lagos workers on the programme, Sanwo-Olu said: 鈥淚 am glad to let you know that the Minimum Wage for Lagos, which we conversed and discussed with our union is N85,000 today (Wednesday).

鈥淚t is not a competition, so I am not going to say we are paying more than some other people.

鈥淚t is a function of affordability and it is a function of capacity, but we know too well that when people live in Lagos, Lagos has a premium in terms of even the cost of living, we are fully aware.鈥�

Hitherto, the Lagos Governor further revealed that the cosmopolitan state had earlier in the year increased the salary of workers.

He equally noted that it is his wish to be able to make the Minimum Wage of N100,000 January 2025.

Sanwo-Olu stated: 鈥淲e actually increased salaries earlier in the year and deserving so for our staff and we will continue to do that.

鈥淚 would like to come back to you in January to say I have been able to increase the minimum wage of Lagos to N100,000 not because I want to make anybody look bad.

鈥淚t is really because I want my people to have a living wage; I want them to really be able to know that government is working for them.鈥�