AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, governor of Kwara State, has approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants in the state. The announcement was made on Saturday in a statement by Hauwa Nuru, Kwara State’s commissioner for finance, who noted that the new wage structure will take effect starting in October.

Nuru described the decision as a “significant move to enhance the welfare of workers in Kwara State.” She explained that the new pay package includes consequential adjustments to relevant salary structures and resulted from a successful tripartite meeting. This meeting involved representatives of the government, the leadership of organized labour in the state including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) as well as representatives from the private sector.

The commissioner commended the governor’s proactive approach in granting autonomy to the minimum wage committee, adding that this swift implementation highlights AbdulRasaq’s commitment to improving the well-being of civil servants. She also confirmed that the increment will extend to workers across the 16 local government areas in Kwara.

This move follows President Bola Tinubu’s signing of a national minimum wage bill in July, which increased the workers’ pay package from N30,000 to N70,000.