Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo
By Akeem Atoyebi
Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State, Monday, created unprecedented excitement among the public workers in state as he approved N72, 500 as minimum wage for the least paid workers, surpassing the minimum wage of the Federal Government.
The N72,500 wage is N2, 500 higher than the one that was approved in July by the federal government for workers in both private and public sectors.
Ododo who gave the approval while receiving report from the Kogi State minimum wage implementation committee headed by the state Head of Service, HoS, Elijah Avenemi, said he was more committed to the overall welfare of all cadres of workers in the state.
The governor also approve tax relief for all the workers in the state for the next one year, saying there would not be any Pay- as – you – earn ( PAYE) tax or any form of deductions from workers’ salaries in the next one year.
Governor Ododo said “I cannot forget where I came from. I am a man from a humble background who became who I am by the grace of God and will not use my position to oppress anyone but to better the lots of the people.
“You people generously elected me as your governor, and the resources of the state belong to you all. I am just your chief servant. I will ensure that the resources are allocated to all sectors fairly and equitably.
“All you have seen today is the painstaking efforts of the labour leaders and government who conducted staff audit screenings in the previous administration in a bid to ensure that the right people take what belongs to them as workers and not ghost workers.”
Earlier, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state, Gabriel Amari, who spoke on behalf of the organized labour, commended the governor for all his efforts and described Ododo as the best workers’ friendly governor the state has ever had.
The NLC chairman who expressed surprise with the seamless efforts at which the implementation committee arrived at the new minimum wage, said some states in the federation were yet to set an implementation committee while Kogi State which set up its committee on September 17, in less than one month, has come out with a minimum wage that gives joy to the workers.
