Imo raises minimum wage to xxx to improve productivity.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has approved a new minimum wage of N104,000 for civil servants, stating that the move is aimed at enhancing workers’ welfare and stimulating the local economy.
The governor announced the increase on Tuesday night during a meeting with labour union leaders at the Government House, Owerri. The new wage represents a rise from ₦ 76,000 to ₦ 104,000.
He also disclosed that the minimum wage for doctors has been raised from N215,000 to N503,000, while that of tertiary institution teachers has been increased from N119,000 to N222,000.
“There is no way any government will do well if it doesn’t have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organised labour,” Uzodimma said. “When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows.”
The governor explained that the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) had grown from N400 million to over N3 billion monthly, while its debt profile had dropped from N280 billion in 2020 to less than N100 billion. He linked the wage increase to improved revenue and federal allocations.
“It is 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 government is confronted with now is how to ensure that the dividends of that policy trickle down to the common man on the street.”
Uzodimma also announced that the state would begin payment of N16 billion in outstanding gratuities to pensioners on August 27.
Reacting, Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Imo, described the development as a “victory for the entire workforce in the state,” adding that “today, no worker in Imo will say you (Uzodimma) have not been fair to us.”
