Omiete Joseph
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has on Friday approved Eighty-Five Thousand Naira (N85,000) as the new minimum wage for civil servants in the State.
Governor Fubara disclosed this during an audience with Labour Unions under the auspices of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in Government House, Port Harcourt.
Addressing journalists shortly after an audience with the governor, the Chairman of Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Emecheta Chukwu noted that the meeting which anchored on the new national minimum wage as approved by the federal government of Nigeria was rewarding as the governor has approved the sum of N85,000 as the new minimum wage in the State.
He described Governor Fubara as a compassionate, loving and kind leader who feels the pains of the people, as he has demonstrated in action his mantra of placing the interest of Rivers State first.
Chukwu added that despite distractions and the downturns, the governor has approved a robust minimum wage of N85,000 for the workers.
“Today, His Excellency, Governor of Rivers State, our own member of the civil service has pronounced that he is going to pay Rivers civil servants N85,000 minimum wage.
“He is a man that has placed Rivers State first above every other interest. He is a man that grew through the rank and file of the system. He knows what salary is, and he has demonstrated it this afternoon. I must tell you our heart is full of joy.”
Chukwu pointed out that as members of the organised labour, and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council the umbrella body that negotiates salary for the welfare of civil servants will report back the good news to the workers at the Secretariat.
“He has done it before, he has done it again. We are looking forward to December when he will do more.”
He noted that the effective date for the commencement of the new minimum wage in the State will be in November due to the salary chart that will be developed.
“You know what was brought from the national was very empty and it was nothing to write home about. So, if we rely on it for implementation we will end up getting nothing. So we are going to set up a technical committee arising from this meeting to make sure that by next month when the new salary will be paid, it will reflect the real salary.”
Also addressing the Journalists, Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, speaking on behalf of the government, affirmed that Governor Fubara has approved a new minimum wage of N85,000, adding that payment will take effect in November, 2024.
Dr George said: “He (Governor Fubara) has pronounced a figure that is higher than the National Minimum Wage. He pronounced a sum of N85,000.00, which is higher than the minimum wage that was prescribed nationally.
“So, as the Head of Service and a major stakeholder in the labour family, I am very happy to say that the Rivers State Civil Servants have never had it this good since the inception of this State.
“The labour union leaders and all the other major stakeholders were happy with this development,” he added.
Responding to possible payment of arrears, Dr Nwaeke, said it is yet to be determined because a technical committee has been set up to critically work out a tenable payment chart, which will cater to issues of arrears.
He clarified, “Issues of arrears will be worked out by the committee that I am going to be Deputy to the SSG. We are already going to work on it in a technical committee that will now get the nitty gritty of the payment and inform the press later.”