Ogun agrees to pay over N30,000 as minimum wage

• Denies accommodating Okada riders banned in Lagos

The organised labour and Ogun State government have agreed on the payment of N30,500 minimum wage for workers in the state with effect from January 1, 2020.

This agreement was reached in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the representatives of organised labour, comprising Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Head of Service, Mrs. Amope Chokor, who led government delegation.

Both parties also agreed on the consequential adjustment of 27 per cent for Grade Level 07, GL 08 (20 per cent), GL 09 (19 per cent), GL 10 to 14 (15 per cent and GL 15 to17 (14 per cent).

Chokor, who spoke after the signing of the MoU, commended the unions for their support and understanding within the past eight weeks of negotiation and thanked the governor for the good gesture, which would spur the workers to be more productive and efficient in their service delivery to the people of the state.

She said: “We thank God for the past eight weeks and finally, we have agreed with the labour and we thank the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, for approving N30,500 minimum wage for workers.

“We believe that this good gesture of government will make our workers be more productive and efficient, and it will translate to more effective service delivery in the state; so that the people can benefit from it.”

Meanwhile, Chairman, JNC, Olanrewaju Folorunsho, who spoke on behalf of the organised labour, thanked the governor for taking the bold step in approving the minimum wage.

While appreciating the workers for their patience during the negotiation, he charged them to reciprocate the gesture by working hard to bring more wealth to Ogun State.

Also, Chairman, NLC, Emmanuel Bankole, said that the agreement was signed in the interest of the workers of the state after they considered its affordability and sustainability, saying that it would be a morale booster for the workers in general.

Meanwhile, the state government has said that its doors are not opened to accommodate Okada riders, whose operations were recently restricted by the Lagos State government.

Chairman, Caretaker Committee on Transportation in the state, Femi Adeniyi, was on Monday reported having assured the motorcyclists who are relocating to the state of adequate accommodation.

But the state government, in a statement yesterday, insisted that Okada operation is fraught with many challenges, including that of security, “which is the reason why their operations have either been totally banned or restricted in many parts of the country.”

The statement, signed by Special Adviser on Public Communications to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Remmy Hazzan, stressed that nobody had been authorised to speak on the issue on his behalf.

Hazzan explained that the state does not have the capacity to cope with the menace and security challenges the influx of the Okada operators either from Lagos or any other neighbouring states would pose.

He said that deploying motorcycles for the commercial operation was not in the schedule of the national transportation policy, adding that the state government is already “looking into” the issue with a view to coming out with a clear policy direction.

The special adviser noted that although the state’s doors are open, it is only for genuine business owners and foreign investors.