Workers in the employ of the Ekiti state government Tuesday stormed the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti, dancing and singing in appreciation of payment of the new minimum wage as reflected in their December salary.
Workers in the state started receiving bank alert for the December salaries Tuesday.
The state governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, however told the workers in the state to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enabling the state to pay the new minimum wage to its workforce.
Governor Oyebanji said the minimum wage was made possible because of President Bola Tinubu’s reforms which ceded more funds to the states.
He said but for the president’s reforms which gave more money to states, a number of state governments would not have been able to pay the minimum wage.
Governor Oyebanji also hinted on the possibility of increasing the minimum wage once the state gets more resources.
“Honestly, I don’t think you should thank me. We have not done anything unusual. You worked hard and got paid by government. But I thank you also for showing appreciation. Thank God and after God, the only person you should thank is President Tinubu. I’m saying this because what you are seeing today are the outcomes of the reforms he embarked on.
“You know states would not have been able to pay the minimum wage if there had not been a remarkable improvement in our allocation. When he embarked on the reforms, he did so having in mind that it may be painful initially, but at the end of the day, it will be in the interest of all of us,” he said.
