Chris Awhawha
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the payment of N85,000.00 as the new minimum wage for civil servants in the employ of the Rivers State Government.
This is the agreement reached during a closed door meeting presided over by the Governor and attended by representatives of organised labour under the auspices of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in the State at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, who spoke on behalf of the Government, affirmed that Governor Fubara has graciously approved a new minimum wage of N85,000.00, adding that the government will begin in November, 2024.
Dr George said: “He (Gov Fubara) has pronounced a figure that is higher than the National Minimum Wage. He pronounced a sum of N85,000.00, which is higher than the minimum wage that was prescribed nationally.
“So, as the Head of Service and a major stakeholder in the labour family, I am very happy to say that the Rivers State Civil Servants have never had it this good since the inception of this State.
“The labour union leaders and all the other major stakeholders were happy with this development,” he added.
Responding to possible payment of arrears, Dr Nwaeke, said it is yet to be determined because a technical committee has been set up to critically work out a tenable payment chart, which will cater to issues of arrears.
He clarified, “Issues of arrears will be worked out by the committee that I am going to be Deputy to the SSG. We are already going to work on it in a technical committee that will now get the nitty gritty of the payment and inform the press later.”
On his part, the Rivers State Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Emecheta Chuku, explained that this is their first meeting with Governor Fubara to discuss the issue of the new minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Comrade Chuku pointed to the fact that the gracious approval of N85,000.00 new minimum wage is very appeasing to the labour leaders, adding that it demonstrates love for the workers.
He explained, “For the Governor to come, against all the crisis, against all the things that he is facing and more, to say he will pay N85,000.00 minimum wage, I think our hearts are full of joy.
“Of course, we have no doubt, knowing the kind of person we have as our Governor. He is a decent man; very responsible enough; and grew through the rank and file of the system. He understands what it takes to earn a living salary; he understands the difference between gifting money and paying somebody salary that can sustain him or her from the first day to the last day of the month.”
Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Rivers State Chapter, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, noted that the amount approved by Governor Fubara puts Rivers State Government ahead of Lagos State as the highest minimum wage paying State to civil servants in Nigeria.
He stressed, “Why do I say that? Lagos State said N85,000.00 and Rivers State is paying N85,000.00. The IGRs of Lagos State and Rivers State are not the same. So, for the Governor to agree to pay the same rate with Lagos, that means we are at the top of it.
“We are the best, and we want to continue to commend the Governor. We assure him that, as far as this State is concerned, labour is going to stand with him. We will be with him even until the next eight years.
“I want to commend His Excellency, Executive Governor of Rivers State, our own Number One Worker in Rivers State, he has, once again, proven that the workers in Rivers State gave him an award on May Day as the Champion of Labour, as the Most Labour-Friendly Governor in Nigeria. He, again, has shown that to us today, and I want to commend him.”
He added that they were returning to the State Secretariat Complex to inform workers of the Governor’s magnanimity and benevolence towards civil servants in the State.