Gov Alia approves N75,000 minimum wage for Benue workers

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has approved a minimum wage of N75,000 for workers in the state.

According to his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor announced this on Monday at the State Secretariat after a meeting with representatives of organised labour.

He also stated that the remaining three months of the five-month backlog of arrears promised to the union will be paid as budgeted in the 2024 budget, along with the minimum wage, effective November 2024.

Alia said: “We are implementing a new national minimum wage of N75,000. We decided to set the wage at N75,000, fully aware of the other concerns raised by organised labour during the negotiations.

“These concerns included a minimum wage of N30,000, wage awards, transportation allowances, tax relief, and work-off days, among others.

“Recall that the President had approved the sum of N70,000, which we have decided to exceed, considering the concerns raised by organised labour regarding our ability to pay.”

He emphasised that his government is committed to serving the common man, stressing that he will do everything legitimately possible to ensure that the workers of Benue State are properly taken care of.

He further stated that his motivation to ensure the arrears are paid is to alleviate the effects of hardship on workers.