Niger Governor, Mohammed Bago To Pay Civil Servants N1m Minimum Wage

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago has announced a goal of setting the minimum wage for state civil servants at N1 million.

During a press conference at the Government House on Friday, he revealed a new minimum wage of N80,000 for state workers after a meeting with the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Governor Bago stated, “This N80,000 is sustainable. We are sure that with our stride in agriculture, we can pay.

“We are creating civil service farm so that civil servants can be productive. With that, we are sure that we can do N1 million as minimum wage.”

He confirmed that this new minimum wage would apply to both state and local government civil servants.

The governor noted that salaries for this month have already been paid, and the new wage will take effect in November.

The NLC chairman in the state, Idrees Lafene, expressed his happiness with the announcement, noting that the governor had exceeded his expectations.

However, he acknowledged that while N80,000 is a positive step, it does not match the rising cost of living, remarking that it is insufficient to buy a bag of rice at the moment.

“It is not commensurate with a bag of rice but at least, it is a step forward,” the NLC chairman said.

KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu recently signed the N70,000 minimum wage bill into law, after months of discussions between the government, labor unions, and the private sector.