27 States, FCT Yet To Set Up N70,000 Minimum Wage Panels

Twenty-seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have yet to set up committees to implement the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, after meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

Interestingly, some states have not implemented the recently approved wage, The Punch reported on Sunday, August 11.

However, seven other states have set up implementation committees but only Lagos and Edo states have started paying the minimum wage.

N70,000 minimum wage: States yet to implement payment
The states are;

Plateau,
Kebbi,
Sokoto,
Nasarawa,
Bayelsa,
Delta,
Osun,
Ekiti,
Zamfara,
Benue,
Enugu,
Taraba,
Gombe,
Kogi,
Enugu,
Adamawa,
Niger,
Anambra,
Imo,
Ebonyi,
Oyo,
Akwa Ibom,
Bauchi,
Katsina,
Kaduna,
Cross River and
Yobe.

7 states that have set up minimum wage panel

However, seven other states have set up implementation committees. Only Lagos and Edo claimed to have started paying the minimum wage.

The states are;

Kano,
Kwara,
Ogun,
Borno,
Jigawa,
Ondo, and
Abia.

States that have started paying 70,000 minimum wage

Lagos and Edo

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on Saturday, August 10, told The Punch that the state had been paying more than the minimum wage before it was passed into law.

He said:

“When you look at the minimum wage that was paid in Lagos before, the least state worker earned about N77,000. So, if they said the minimum wage is now N70,000, we have no problem with it at all because Lagos has been paying more than that, and we will continue to pay.”

The Edo State Government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki said it had started paying the minimum wage.

Meanwhile, Kwara, Kano, Borno state and Abia states have expressed readiness to pay the N70,000 minimum wage.