The newly elected Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) in Oyo State, Comrade Titilayo Sodo on Thursday said there is no excuse for any state governor in Nigeria not to implement the N30,000 minimum wage with immediate effect.
Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo who stated this while speaking with journalists after his election at the Nigeria Labour Congress ,(NLC) delegates conference held at the Lekan Salami stadium in Ibadan specifically hinted that there will be no going back in the implementation of the newly approved N30,000 minimum wage for workers in the Oyo state civil service.
The new NLC Chairman pointed out that since the N30,000 minimum wage bill has been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, its implementation automatically should be immediate.
According to Comrade Titilola- Sodo, the out going governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has already agreed to implement the N30,000 for workers in the state as soon as it it approved by the Federal government.
Speaking further, the newly elected Oyo state NLC Chairman disclosed that the incoming governor of the state, Engineer Seyi Makinde during a meeting with Labour leaders in the state also agreed into implementing the N30,000 minimum wage as soon as assumed office, adding that there was no excuse for any state governor not to implement the N30,000 minimum wage with immediate effect.
He stressed that “payment of minimum wages is a law that is bidding on all the 36 state governors which needs no persuasion before the implementation particularly in Oyo state.
“The implementation of the N30,000 minimum wages should be immediate without further delay. The President has signed it, it is a law and the law is bidding on all the 36 state governors. It is a law, it requires no persuasion, it covers all the states of the Federation.” he said.
Comrade Titilola -Sodo added, “the outgoing governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi promised to pay N30,000 minimum wage, the governor-elect, Engineer Seyi Makinde also promised us even before the election. So we would hold both of them to their words”.
On what to expect from the newly elected NLC executives in Oyo state in the next three years, he said “a situation where workers are paid their salaries as at when due, a situation where workers enjoy their benefits as when due”
“A situation where nepotism and favourism are not allowed, a situation where workers are not victimised, where justice prevails and act of the day, where sanity is brought into the system unlike the present situation”.
Other newly elected Oyo NLC executives are Adedeji Taofeek, vice chairman 1; Martins Bayonle, vice chairman 2; Rukayat Afonja, chairperson; Ademola Babalola, Treasurer; Oladele Olusegun and Folorunsho Olujimi, auditor 1 and 2 respectively.