Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved a new minimum wage of N104,000 for civil servants in the state.
The governor made the announcement on Tuesday night during a meeting with labour union leaders at the Government House in Owerri. He said the new minimum wage represents an increase from the previous N76,000, while adjustments were also made for other sectors.
According to Uzodimma, doctors’ minimum wage has been raised from N215,000 to N503,000, while lecturers in tertiary institutions will now earn N222,000, up from N119,000.
“There is no way any government will do well if it doesn’t have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organised labour,” the governor said, according to NAN.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people. Government believes in stimulating political and economic activities, carrying bureaucrats along, and making sure that workers’ welfare is highly respected.”
The governor noted that citizens had endured difficult times since his administration took office, citing insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic hardship from reform policies, and disputes over wage and subsidy removal.
He highlighted the growth of the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) from N400 million to over N3 billion monthly, and said the state’s debt profile had dropped from over N280 billion in 2020 to less than N100 billion.
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Uzodimma also pointed to the end of fuel subsidy as a turning point for the nation’s economy.
“It is a thing of joy that we have started seeing the dividends of that bold decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy,” he said.
“What government is confronted with now is how to ensure that the dividends of that policy trickle down to the common man on the street. Cognisant of the fact that our effort has started yielding dividends and that our IGR had improved and that reform policies of the President has also increased our allocations to sub-national governments, every responsible government must be transparent about it.”
The governor further disclosed that the state will begin paying the last batch of gratuities owed to pensioners—totalling N16 billion—on August 27.
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In his response, Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Imo State, hailed the wage increase as a “victory for the entire workforce.”
“Today, no worker in Imo will say you (Uzodimma) have not been fair to us,” Nwigwe said.
He added that the governor had not only rescued workers from economic hardship but had also placed Imo among the highest-ranking states in terms of minimum wage.
Nwigwe assured that workers would repay the gesture through greater diligence, efficiency, and commitment in service delivery.
