The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, has commended some state governors for increasing the minimum wage for their workers in the face of difficult economic realities.

Oyerinde made this disclosure while featuring on a popular breakfast show on Channels TV, Morning Brief, on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
This commendation is coming in the wake of the recent announcement of a minimum wage increase by the governments of Imo and Ebonyi states.

Imo State recently approved a new minimum wage of N104,000 for its civil servants, while Ebonyi State followed suit by raising the minimum wage to N90,000.

While urging other governors to toe the same path, he attributed the response on the part of the two states to either the increased inflow from the federation account, prudent management of resources, or workers’ productivity.

He explained that states have no excuse not to pay their workers beyond the minimum wage, especially in the face of current economic realities. He stressed that it was in the best interest of sub-nationals to review the wages of their workers to enhance their productivity.

“Workers are the key drivers of the economy. And whatever will increase productivity or drive motivation, especially with the fuel subsidy removal and other reforms carried out, should not be toyed with,” he said.

He also urged the governors to deploy the increased inflow from the Federal Government to address other economic issues, to enable the minimum wage to become more sustainable for the workers.

Lauding the efforts of some governments at the sub-national level who have provided CNG buses to address transportation problems for their workers, he urged them to pay adequate attention to finding lasting solutions to issues relating to food security and housing.