Kogi state Governor, Ahmed Ododo has approved N72, 500 as minimum wage for the least paid workers of the state.
Ododo who gave the approval while receiving report from the Kogi State minimum wage implementation committee headed by the state Head of Service, Elijah Avenemi, said he was more committed to the overall welfare of all cadres of workers in the state.
The governor also approved tax relief for all the workers in the state, saying there would not be any Pay-as–you–earn (PAYE) tax or any form of deductions from workers’ salaries in the next one year.
Governor Ododo assured that the resources of the state will be allocated to all sectors fairly and equitably, noting the painstaking efforts of the labour leaders and government who conducted staff audit screenings in the previous administration in a bid to ensure that the right people take what belongs to them as workers and not ghost workers.
Speaking, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state, Gabriel Amari, commended the governor for all his efforts and described Ododo as the best workers’ friendly governor the state has ever had.
The NLC chairman expressed surprise with the seamless efforts at which the implementation committee arrived at the new minimum wage.