Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, on Wednesday, said his administration had employed more than 5,000 new workers into the state civil service in the last seven years.

Mr Obaseki disclosed this at the 2024 May Day celebrations at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.

He said that the over 5,000 workers were recruited based on merit and not on favouritism.

“Now, you don’t need to know anybody to get government work in Edo,” he said.

Mr Obaseki said that he decided to increase the minimum wage from N40,000 to N70,000 because workers’ welfare remained paramount to his administration.

“But, should the Federal Government decide on a higher minimum wage and decide to make the funds available to states from the savings which they have made from  removal of fuel subsidy, Edo will adjust its minimum wage to that,” he said.

The governor said he was leaving the state workforce better than he met it, noting that the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy had trained over 10,000 workers.

“From a state which ranked the highest in human trafficking and irregular migration seven years ago, we have become a state with the lowest number of multidimensional poor.

“We have one of the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates and lowest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier, the chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Odion Olaye, said that the governor was approached to approve the N70,000 minimum wage for workers.

Mr Olaye, however, urged Mr Obaseki to fulfil his promise of paying the wage award he had promised the state workers to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.

He also appealed to the governor to prevail on the local government councils in the state to pay the salary arrears owed from 2017 to 2023 with the improved allocation.

(NAN)