Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved an N80,000 minimum wage for the state’s workforce. The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, confirmed that the decision followed recommendations from a technical committee composed of both government and labor representatives. The new wage scale will take effect after the completion of consequential adjustments.

Oyelade highlighted Oyo State’s reputation for being worker-friendly, citing the recent recognition by the National Bureau of Statistics, which ranked Oyo as the most worker-friendly state in southern Nigeria. This rating was attributed to a significant decrease in unemployment rates and increased job creation across various state sectors. The commissioner also noted that Governor Makinde’s administration has consistently paid salaries by the 25th of each month since 2019, including the N30,000 minimum wage, pensions, and a 13th-month bonus for both workers and pensioners.

In addition to the minimum wage increase, Makinde’s administration has provided a welfare wage award of N25,000 for workers and N15,000 for pensioners since November 2023, aimed at alleviating the effects of the federal government’s subsidy removal. This support has continued uninterrupted for over a year.

Governor Makinde has also addressed long-standing financial issues by clearing the backlog of gratuities from 2008-2015 and increasing gratuity payments for both local government and state retirees. He reinstated pensioners who were removed from the payroll by the previous administration and introduced an annual “Chicken Bonus” for pensioners as a festive gesture during Christmas and New Year.