Demand Upward Review Of Minimum Wage From Governor Abdulrazaq - PDP To Kwara Labour Leaders
....Says workers can no longer survive on Lifeless N70k
The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Labour leaders in the state to immediately demand an upward review of the lifeless N70,000 minimum wage from Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. This is coming in the wake of the laudable action taken by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who has just announced an increase in the state's minimum wage to N104,000 from the initial N76,000.
The party in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara said it is sad that the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum and Governor of Kwara State, who is supposed to be setting the pace for other states, is lagging behind in this critical area, noting that the massive federal allocations combined with the state's unprecedented IGR, ought to be reflected in the take-home pay of our civil servants
The PDP maintained that it is unacceptable that a NYSC Corp member now earns more monthly pay than a Grade Level 8 Kwara State civil servant, insisting that the N70,000 minimum wage set by the Kwara government since October 2024, which is the lowest in the neighboring states, has long outlived its relevance with the current economic realities in the country.
Our party is of the firm belief that the governor is deliberately shying away from his responsibilities to the workers by failing to invest in their welfare, which is critical to ensuring productivity, improving the local economy and reducing spate of insecurity.
The PDP further stated that a government that is investing N30 billion in mere hotel renovations, planning to buy N1.4 billion worth of cars for House of Assembly members, and who acquired N80 million worth of vehicles for each local government chairmen should not find it difficult to give hardworking workers what is due to them
We strongly believe that the governor is deliberately shying away from his responsibility to invest in the welfare of workers—a critical factor in boosting productivity, stimulating the local economy and arrest the spate of insecurity.
With the size of federal allocations coming to Kwara and the strength of its IGR, the state can conveniently afford a minimum wage of at least ₦150,000 for its workforce.
The party therefore called on all Labour leaders across the state to seize the momentum from the Imo government's action and demand a living wage for their people. "Kwara must move away from the tokenism of the civil service with the current lifeless N70,000 minimum wage, which is insufficient to even cover a worker's transportation expenses for a single month," the statement concluded
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