Governor Hope Uzodimma has announced a significant salary increase for civil servants in Imo State, with the new minimum wage now set at N104,000.
The governor disclosed this development during a meeting with labour union leaders at the Government House, Owerri, on Tuesday night.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the wage adjustment moves the baseline from N76,000 to N104,000.
Other categories of workers also received substantial raises. Doctors’ minimum pay rose from N215,000 to N503,000, while lecturers in tertiary institutions saw their wage increase from N119,000 to N222,000.
Addressing the gathering, Uzodimma acknowledged the difficulties faced by citizens in recent years, including insecurity, the pandemic, and economic pressures resulting from government reforms and subsidy removal.
“We tried as a government to always put it behind our mind that there is no way any government will do well if it doesn’t have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organised labour,” he said.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people. Government believes in stimulating political and economic activities, carrying bureaucrats along, and making sure that workers’ welfare is highly respected.”
ALSO READ
The governor credited the state’s improved finances for the wage increase, noting that internally generated revenue had climbed from N400 million to over N3 billion monthly.
“In 2020, we were receiving allocations between N5 billion to N7 billion, but it has increased to N14 billion. In 2020, the state recorded a debt profile of over N280 billion, but it has reduced to less than N100 billion,” he added.
Uzodimma also reflected on the state of infrastructure when he took office in 2020, saying much had been invested in rebuilding critical facilities and tackling security challenges.
He noted that the removal of fuel subsidy had increased living costs but insisted it was already producing positive results.
“It is a thing of joy that we have started seeing the dividends of that bold decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy,” he said.
“What government is confronted with now is how to ensure that the dividends of that policy trickle down to the common man on the street. Cognisant of the fact that our effort has started yielding dividends and that our IGR has improved and that reform policies of the President have also increased our allocations to sub-national governments, every responsible government must be transparent about it.”
The governor further revealed that the state would begin paying the final batch of N16 billion in gratuities to pensioners on August 27.
He added that his administration had introduced reforms in the health sector, including a health insurance scheme and upgraded medical facilities, and joined federal efforts to establish 1,000 businesses in every active INEC ward.
Urging labour unions to work in unity, Uzodimma asked workers to add value and avoid unethical practices.
Reacting, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, described the move as “a victory for the entire work force in the state.” He said, “Today, no worker in Imo will say you (Uzodimma) have not been fair to us.”
He also praised the governor for easing workers’ economic burdens and positioning Imo among states paying the highest wages.
The Trade Union Congress Chairman, Uchenna Ibe, also applauded the governor’s “strong political will in taking up strong projects, including the increase in minimum wage.”
