Fubara approves N85,000 as new minimum wage for Rivers workers

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has approved N85,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the state.

“This is the agreement reached during a closed door meeting presided over by the Governor and attended by representatives of organised labour under the auspices of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in the State at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday,” according to a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by Governor Fubara’s spokesperson, Chukwudi Nelson.

The N85,000 is 21 per cent higher than the N70,000 approved by President Bola Tinubu as national minimum wage.

Briefing reporters after the meeting in Port Harcourt, the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, George Nwaeke, said that the government will begin payment in November 2024.

“So, as the Head of Service and a major stakeholder in the labour family, I am very happy to say that the 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 happy with this development,” he added.

Minimum Wage

After a strike, protests and series of disagreements, the federal government and the Organised Labour – Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress – in July agreed on N70,000 as the new minimum wage in the country, replacing the former N30,000 which expired in April after five years.

President Tinubu had on 29 July signed the new minimum wage bill into law but some governors were waiting for federal government circular on consequential adjustment on the new wage, which was released last month.

Responding to questions on payment of arrears of the new minimum wage to workers, the Rivers State Head of Civil Service, Mr Nwaeke, said arrears are yet to be determined. He added that a technical committee has been set up to work out a tenable payment chart, which will cater to issues of arrears.

“Issues of arrears will be worked out by the committee that I am going to be Deputy to the SSG. We are already going to work on it in a technical committee that will now get the nitty gritty of the payment and inform the press later.”

With the development, the oil-rich Rivers State has become the second state after Lagos to approve N85,000 as minimum wage for workers.

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Lagos and Rivers are the first and second richest states, respectively, in the country, followed by Akwa Ibom State in terms of Gross Domestic Product.

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, who had cited the delay in implementation to non release of circular on consequential adjustment by the federal government is yet to speak on the matter.