Obaseki Allays Workers' Fears As Edo NLC Threatens Election Boycott Over N30,000 Minimum Wage

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has reaffirmed his commitment to pay the N30,000 minimum proposed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) when passed into law, noting that the state already pays N25,000, which is higher than the national wage.

The governor said this when members of the Edo Chapter of the NLC staged a protest to the Government House, in Benin City, vowing to boycott the 2019 general elections if the N30,000 minimum wage bill was not transmitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Mr. Isaac Ehiozuwa, said the state was labour-friendly and has gone ahead to pay N25,000 minimum wage when other states were still paying N18,000.

"The NLC chairman has said it all. The state is labour-friendly and we will implement whatever is passed into law by the National Assembly."

He commended the union for the peaceful conduct of the protest and assured that the workers would smile at the end of the day.

Chairman, Edo NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, who led the protest, said Nigerian workers were the least paid in the world, stressing that "It must be N30,000 minimum wage before the election or no election.

“We are here to express our grievances over the non-transmission of the N30,000 minimum wage to the National Assembly because we are aware that the bill has been presented to the President. Workers must decide who will govern them.”

He said the Union had no issue with the Edo Government regarding workers' welfare, noting that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has promised to pay the N30, 000 amount when passed into law.

Ademokun presented a copy of the Union's notice of impending strike to the Governor.


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Representative of Edo State Governor and Head of Service, Mr. Isaac Ehiozuwa; addressing members of the Edo State Chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), during their protest march to Government House, in Benin City, on Tuesday, January 8, 2019.

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