Sanwo-Olu Did Not Increase Minimum Wage, Commissioner Clarifies

By Daniel Dafe

Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information & Strategy, has said that the Lagos State Government has not increased the minimum wage, contrary to the impression in some media reports, which emanated from the unveiling of Eko Cares – the umbrella for the various interventions to protect the poor against the effects of the prevailing economic hardship.

The event was held at the Governor’s Office in Ikeja on Wednesday.

According to the statement, “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been erroneously quoted as saying that a new minimum wage of N70,000 had been announced.”

Adding: “This is wrong. Mr. Governor never said so. He said since January, civil servants had been earning the N35,000 wage award directed by the Federal Government. In other words, those earning N35,000 now earn N70,000. He did not announce a new minimum wage of N70,000.”

Sanwo-Olu had said: “I know that by the grace of God very very soon we’ll see a new minimum wage that will be approved for the Federal Government and for the state government. The civil servants and all public officers, they know that since January we have continued to pay the wage allowance of minimum of N35,000 over and above what they were earning before.

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“People that were earning a minimum of N35,000 to N40,000 before, they are now earning over N70,000. So, it’s important for people to know and for us to lay this thing very clearly. This government has doubled up and has not left its citizens on their own…”.