By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has announced an increase in the minimum wage for civil servants in the state to N85,000. The governor made this statement during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, October 16.“I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we have discussed with our union, is N85,000 today,” Sanwo-Olu said.The governor emphasized that the decision was not about competing with other states but was based on the state’s financial capacity and the high cost of living in Lagos.“It is not a competition. I am not going to say that we are paying more than some people, it is a function of affordability and capacity,” Sanwo-Olu added.He acknowledged the unique economic pressures faced by residents of Lagos, stating, “We know too well that when people live in Lagos, Lagos has a premium in terms of the cost of living. We are fully aware.”Sanwo-Olu also mentioned that civil servants in the state had already seen salary increases earlier in the year. He expressed his hope to further raise the minimum wage to N100,000 in the near future.“I will want to come back in January and say that I have been able to increase the minimum wage of Lagos to N100,000, not because I want to make anybody look bad, but because I want my people to have a living wage,” he said.
