With less than six months until the 2023 elections, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced an increase in salary for Lagos civil servants.

“Last month (September), I instructed the Head of Service, HoS, the Commissioner for Establishment, Training, and Pensions to work out modalities for a salary increase for the entire over 100,000 of public service workforce,” Mr Sanwo-Olu stated this on Tuesday.

Addressing a large crowd of workers at the Alausa office of the Head of Service in Ikeja, the governor stated that the ‘surprise’ announcement was coming at a time that the country and more importantly Lagos was preparing for the 2023 general election. 

The Lagos governorship election will be held in March 2023, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with Mr Sanwo-Olu, first elected as the governor of Lagos in 2019, seeking a second term in office. 

A total of 15 out of the 18 political parties are contesting the Lagos governorship election. 

Aside from Mr Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) other parties are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party (A), African Action Congress (AAC), and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Also contesting are the African Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Young Progressive Party (YPP).

Others are the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Boot Party (BP)

Although Mr Sanwo-Olu did not disclose the actual amount in the salary increase for the over 100,000 public workers, however, the least civil servants in grade level 01- 06 earns N35,009 as minimum wage In Lagos. 

Mr Sanwo-Olu said his administration was aware of the inflation and high cost of living in the country but assured that he was determined to cushion the effects on the workers. 

He added that Lagos was “capable” of paying workers high salaries, stressing that the state would continue to lead by example. 

“In salary increments, we are leading again. We are going to reflect the popular ‘Buga’ slogan in the payment of salaries. We are not going to wait for the federal government’s minimum wage increase.

“We have commenced the process. I can assure that by early next year it will be ready for implementation,” the Lagos governor added, noting that, “We don’t want to wait for workers’ unions to hold us to ransom before we do the needful.”

Mr Sanwo-Olu also assured that his government would pay all the outstanding backlog of pensions to retirees by the end of this month. 

He revealed that the state was clearing the entire backlog of pensions as they were liabilities met on the ground by his administration when it took over power. 

“I want to reassure you that all the few outstanding backlogs of pensions will be sorted out this week and payment by the end of October. We are the highest and best paying in pensions in Nigeria,” Mr Sanwo-Olu added. 

The federal government had said there were plans to increase the N30,000 minimum wage in light of inflation currently ravaging the country.