OKPEBHOLO’S SUPPORT GROUP PUNCHES HOLES ON EDO NEW MINIMUM WAGE REVIEW
By Osemen Idialu
A foremost support group of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Project 2024, has punched holes on Edo new minimum wage of 70 thousand naira recently reviewed by Governor Godwin Obaseki describing it as ‘greek gift’.
The group in a statement issued by Hon Theophilus Afuda, Director of media and publicity project 2024, said it is disturbing as it is coming at the last moment of his administration, saying “Obaseki is obviously playing politics with Edo workers’ welfare.
He said “Obaseki in his habit of offering Greek gift to labour in the name of wage increment, in the year of election or the year preceding the year of election.
He recalled that during the celebration of the 2022 workers’ Day, the May Day preceding the February 2023 general elections, “the governor made a similar pronouncement to the effect that he has increased minimum wage from N30,000 to N40,000 just to placate workers in Edo.
“We may not talk about the shameful implementation of that new minimum wage today. Here we are again in the year of election, he has pronounced minimum wage increment from N40,000 to N70,000, a complete hoax.”
Afuda contended that the intended beneficiary of the new wage review is Obaseki and his godson, according to him, “The end game is to deceive the people in order to garner supports from workers in the September 21st 2024 governorship election.
The statement also pointed out, “Recall in October last year, Federal government issued a directive to effect wage award of N35,000 for Federal and State workers, to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal. Many states complied with this directive, but Edo State failed to comply. Very many States including; Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Jigawa etc. have been paying this wage award save for Edo State,
“Look at it, if you add the minimum wage of N40,000 to the N35,000 Federal government wage award, you get N75,000. This math shows a deficit of N5,000 in the Obaseki new minimum wage arrangement. Therefore, he must make up for the short fall of N5,000. Edo workers can’t be fooled again.
Afuda consequently advised Obaseki to come out clean and let Edo workers know the truth, “that what he described as new minimum wage is in fact, a mere compliance with the Federal government’s wage award which is provided for by the Federal government and stop deceiving Edo workers, particularly in the year of election, with minimum wage increment solely for election purposes.
“In fact, Edo workers must demand the N5,000 deficit in the new wage award.”
