EDO State Governor Monday Okpebholo has increased the minimum wage for workers in the state from 70,000 to 75,000.
The governor announced this on Thursday, May 1, during the commemoration of this year’s Workers’ Day.
“Today, I am proud to announce that our administration has approved a new minimum wage of N75,000 per month for Edo workers,” said Okpebholo.
The governor noted that the gesture was his way of “saying thank you, Edo workers”, noting that he believed the new wage would make a real difference in the workers’ lives. “We count on your renewed dedication as we build a better Edo together,” he stated.
The ICIR reports that Edo was among the first states to approve N70,000 as the minimum wage in Nigeria. The state’s immediate past governor, Godwin Obaseki, approved the payment in April 2024.
The ICIR reported that President Bola Tinubu signed a new N70,000 minimum wage bill into law in July 2024. The bill sought to increase the national minimum wage and reduce the period for periodic review from five years to three years.
Governors across the country’s 36 states had opposed the N60,000 minimum wage initially proposed by the Federal Government.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in response to the Federal Government’s minimum wage, approved N85,000 for the state workers in October 2024.
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, also approved the immediate payment of N70,000 as the new minimum wage for all workers engaged by the FCT Administration in November 2024.
Some states approved between N70,000 and N80,000 for their workers.
As of February 2025, some government workers were still demanding payment of the new wage despite its approval.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.