Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said he pays N30,500 as minimum wage for over 101,000 workers on its payroll.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by a former State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress in the state, Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo while speaking with newsmen at the State Secretariat of the Correspondents’chapel, Mokola, Ibadan.
If compared with the other five other states in the South West, the administration of Governor Makinde is the second to Lagos State in the payment of the minimum wage.
Describing Governor Makinde as the most Workers’ friendly when compared with previous administrations in the state, he further hinted that the state government had paid over N13billion as gratuities for retired workers in the state.
Titilola-Sodo who also doubles as Special Adviser on Labour Matters to Governor Makinde explained that the Pacesetter State had never had it so good when the issue of the minimum wage would be arranged noiselessly without any rancour with the state government.
“As a worker-friendly Governor, Engr Makinde pays minimum wage for the workers in the state. I have never seen a government which arranged the issue of minimum wage without any noise.”
“Oyo State is second to Lagos State in the payment of the minimum wage. We pay workers N30,500 for our workers. But for COVID-19 which affected the economic fortunes of the state, it would have been more than that.”
“He has also increased vehicle and housing loans which now stand between N750,000 and N3m depending on the cadre of the worker”. The number of workers in the state is about 101,000 and we have 33 local government areas. The state has over 600 secondary schools.”
“Governor Makinde has paid N13b as gratuities for pensioners in the state. The IGR in the state has improved with the state making over N2.5b on the average”.
On the ongoing brouhaha between Governor Nasir El-Rufai and workers in Kaduna State, he said as well experienced labour leader, the governor should tread softly on the issue adding that he would stand by the workers.
“I will always stand by the workers. You can’t run a whole State like a private enterprise. You can’t just wake up to say you sacked workers like that. There is a process you must follow. There is no way he can win against the workers.”
To make it easier for pregnant workers, he noted that the state had increased maternity leave from three months to six months.
