By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Tuesday approved the payment of ₦75,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the state.

This was disclosed in a statement issued and signed by the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, and made available to journalists in Osogbo.

According to the statement: “The organised labour in Osun State and the government, after exhaustive deliberations, have decided on ₦75,000 as the new minimum wage in Osun State.”

However, in another release credited to the Osun NLC, TUC, and JNC Information Bureau, it was reiterated that: “The organised labour in Osun State and the government, after exhaustive deliberations, have decided on ₦75,000 as the new minimum wage in Osun State.”

This step follows months of negotiations between the Osun State government and organised labour after the Federal Government approved a new minimum wage of ₦70,000 in July 2024.

A top civil servant in the state, who requested anonymity, told our correspondent that it is not enough for the government and labour leaders to agree on a minimum wage figure; they must also ensure that consequential adjustments are made to the salaries of all grade levels to reflect the new reality.

According to her: “Announcing a new minimum wage figure is not the problem, but its implementation across the board for all levels of the civil service. It is common for the government to simply announce a minimum wage but fail to apply it to senior civil servants whose salaries are already above the minimum wage figure. This must not be the case in this situation. The new minimum wage must reflect proportionately in the salaries of all grade levels.”

Osun State follows several other states in the country that have announced minimum wage figures higher than the ₦70,000 approved by the Federal Government.