Wike Approves N70,000 Minimum Wage For FCT Workers, Promises To Pay 3-month Arrears

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage of N70,000 for all staff under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The approval was announced in a statement signed by the Press Secretary to the Head of the Civil Service of the FCT, Anthony Odeh, and released to journalists on Tuesday. The statement emphasised the minister’s commitment to improving the welfare of FCT workers.

The Acting Head of Civil Service of the FCT, Mrs. Grace Adayilo, disclosed that the payment will take effect from November 2024 and will include three-month arrears for all staff. She noted that the decision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu administration.

“This gesture will further spur the entire administration staff to support the minister in continuing to deliver on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Adayilo was quoted as saying in the statement.

LEADERSHIP recalls that President Tinubu signed the Minimum Wage Bill into law in May 2024, raising the minimum wage to N70,000 after months of negotiations with organised labour. However, some states, including the FCT, faced delays in implementation, sparking unrest among workers.

The FCT chapters of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had threatened to shut down activities by November 30, 2024, as part of a nationwide strike to protest non-compliance with the new minimum wage policy in some states. They also criticised the Wike-led FCT Administration for failing to meet with labour unions since his inauguration in August 2023.

The statement highlighted that the minister’s decision aimed to “ameliorate the plight of workers under the employ of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.”