The Ondo State government has expressed its readiness to implement the new national minimum wage, which President Bola Tinubu approved for workers in the state.
The state’s Head of Service, Mr Bayo Philip, disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists in his office in Akure, the state capital.
According to him, Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the state had repeatedly assured at several forums that his government would not do anything less than what the federal government has approved as the national minimum for workers.
Reiterating the commitment of Gov. Aiyedatiwa to the welfare of the state workforce, Mr Philip recalled that apart from Ondo State being the first to pay the Thirty-Five Thousand Naira Wage Award to its workers, the state was also one of the few states that paid beyond the six months earlier stipulated and would continue to pay till the new minimum wage fully kicks off.
He added that the government also extended the gesture to retirees and workers in state-owned tertiary institutions to ameliorate the country’s current economic situation.
Philip said, ‘Before the President assented to the bill, the Governor had said that Ondo State will pay whatever minimum wage as may be agreed upon and assented to by Mr President. And as I speak, we are doing all the preliminaries that as soon as the details of the salary table for the minimum wage is out, we will eat it, and I know, true to his promise, will implement it without delay.’
While also speaking on the operations of government offices during the ongoing protest in some parts of the country, he said the people of Ondo State could not protest against themselves as they had seen Aiyedatiwa’s government as their government for themselves and by themselves.
He lauded the governor’s inclusive leadership style, which occasionally engaged relevant stakeholders in the state. He said this was why the protest was shunned by the youths, workers, traders, students, women, and other associations in the state.
“Here, no one is protesting. Not the youth, not the market women, not the students, not the public servants. As you can observe, we are in our various offices carrying out our statutory duties, and there is tranquillity across the state
“The reason is that we have a governor who is in touch with the feelings and aspirations of the people. A governor who is well-connected with the people. The government being run in Ondo State is owned by the people. So we cannot organise a protest against ourselves.’ Philip concluded.
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