On Friday, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State inaugurated a consequential adjustment committee to address the minimum wage.
The committee’s primary objective is to negotiate an agreement that balances the interests of workers, other societal segments, and considers development issues.
The inauguration ceremony took place at the Government House’s council chambers in Ilorin, the state capital.
In attendance were high-ranking government officials, labor leaders, and representatives from the organized private sector.
Governor AbdulRazaq tasked the committee with examining all relevant variables to ensure a fair and sustainable agreement.
The committee’s work is crucial in determining the minimum wage’s consequential adjustment, which will impact the lives of many workers in Kwara State.
“The setting up of this committee sets out the process for the implementation of the national minimum wage in Kwara State. Following a legislative backing by the National Assembly, the President has recently approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage.
“We welcome the development in Kwara State but the law means more than just paying N70,000 to the lowest ranking worker. It involves working out the maths on how this affects the take-home for senior workers on different cadres,” the governor said.
He added that, “This multi-stakeholder committee is therefore tasked to critically look at all the indices and arrive at workable consequential adjustments for all cadres of workers.
“I trust that this committee of senior government officials, reasonable labour leaders and organised private sector will consider all the variables and balance the need for decent salary adjustments with the important need to have something left for development and other strata of the society. In other words, we should arrive at an agreement that is durable, meets the legitimate needs of all, and takes into account the overall interest of our state.”
The state” Head of Service and Chairman of the Committee, Mrs Modupe Oluwole hailed the Governor’s proactiveness in constituting the committee.
“Recently, the President signed the N70,000 national minimum wage into law, and our Governor, being proactive, constituted this noble committee within 72 hours,” she said.
Oluwole was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Training, Alh. Muhammad Ibrahim.
AbdulRazaq prioritises workers’ welfare, she added, saying the committee will be diligent and clear-headed in its work.
The Governor had recently announced the 18-person committee which comprises commissioners, bureaucrats, labour leaders and private sector players.
