Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has approved a new minimum wage of N104,000 for civil servants in the state, in response to the prevailing economic realities in the country.
Uzodimma announced the new minimum wage package on Tuesday night during a meeting with various labour union leaders at the Government House in Owerri, emphasising that there's no way a government can thrive without a cordial relationship with organised labour.
The minimum wage was increased from N76,000 to N104,000. Additionally, the minimum wage of doctors was increased from N215,000 to N503,000, while that of teachers in tertiary institutions was increased from N119,000 to N222,000, among others.
The governor stated that Imo citizens had faced numerous challenges since his government took office, including insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic hardship resulting from reform policies, and disputes over minimum wage and the removal of subsidies.
"We tried as a government to always keep in mind that there is no way any government will do well if it doesn't have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organized labor," he said.
"When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people. The government believes in stimulating political and economic activities, carrying bureaucrats along, and making sure that workers' welfare is highly respected."
The governor revealed that the state's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had grown from N400 million to over N3 billion monthly, attributing this development to the resilience and hard work of civil servants in the state.
According to him, in 2020, the state was receiving allocations between N5 billion and N7 billion, but this has increased to N14 billion. Furthermore, the state's debt profile has reduced from over N280 billion to less than N100 billion.
The governor recalled that when he assumed office in 2020, major infrastructure in all sectors had collapsed.
He said a lot had been expended to rebuild the collapsed infrastructure, especially roads, and combat insecurity challenges. He stressed that the removal of fuel subsidy had raised the cost of living in Nigeria, but it also had its advantages.
"It's a thing of joy that we have started seeing the dividends of that bold decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy," he said. "What the government is confronted with now is how to ensure that the dividends of that policy trickle down to the common man on the street."
The governor further stated that the state government would commence payment of the last batch of gratuity, amounting to N16 billion, owed to pensioners in the state on August 27.
He highlighted that his administration had carried out major reforms in the health sector, including the initiation of health insurance schemes and the equipping of health facilities to ensure world-class treatment for Imo citizens.
He also mentioned that his government had keyed into the Federal Government's project of establishing 1,000 businesses in every active INEC ward.
The governor charged labour unions to unite to foster good working relations between labor and government, soliciting value addition from workers while cautioning them against unethical practices and redundancy at work.
Post a Comment