By John Ewah
Reactions have continued to trail Governor Godwin Obaseki’s minimum wage increment in Edo State.
The Governor while commemorating the 2022 Workers’ Day, disclosed this through a press statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq.
With the increase in minimum wage from thirty thousand Naira (N30,000) to forty thousand Naira (N40,000), basic salaries of public servants in the State saw an upward review of 33.33 per cent.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s commitment to workers’ welfare in the State consternates supporters and critics alike. In five years of Obaseki’s leadership, public servants in the State and pensioners have consistently received their salaries on or before 26th of every month. The backlog of pension arrears (batches 37 to 65) inherited by his administration, up to the tune of 4.3 billion Naira, has all been cleared by the Governor.
Some persons have classified this worker-friendly disposition of the Governor as a rare talent among leaders in Africa. To some, the Governor is not just a needle in a haystack but rather, a particular needle among a pile of needles. These descriptions are but litotical expressions to qualify the rarity of the Governor’s personality, as they still do not do justice to the underpinning features which distinguish the leadership style of Governor Obaseki, neither do they capture adequately, the void which Obaseki’s emergence as Governor of Edo State has come to fill.
Speaking to members of civil society organizations in the State, many expressed gratitude to the Governor for his numerous interventions in workers’ welfare such as the befitting civil service secretariat complex which the Governor has completely refurbished with state-of-the-art-facilities, geared towards ensuring a conducive work space for public servants in the State, and also the recent increment in the salaries of public servants, especially at a time when the country has become one of the most expensive to reside in sub-Saharan African, with inflation rate hitting multiple digits.
During an interactive session with the President of Network of Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria (NOCSON), Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel, he noted that Governor Obaseki has demonstrated prudence in leadership, as no profligate governance system can encourage the steps which the Governor has taken so far in ensuring workers’ welfare.
According to comrade Ogbidi, “I think from the civil society perspective and indeed the masses, this is a very welcome development. It is a clear indication that nothing is impossible when it comes to providing good governance to the good people of Edo State and of course Nigeria.
“It shows that if Government can be prudent and also have their priorities right, the workforce should benefit more, which in turn would make them put in their best. So what the Governor has done by increasing the minimum wage is to encourage and also wake up the capacity of the people; telling the workforce that their input is appreciated”.
Also speaking during an interview, a former Director of Higher Education in the Edo State Ministry of Education, and now consultant on education matters, Monsieur John Obobairibhoje, saw this as a welcome development and a cause for celebration among public servants in the State.
According to Monsieur John, “I guess this minimum increase is first of its kind in the country. The Governor has taken the initiative to encourage and empower our workforce in Edo State. There is no doubt about the fact that workers and public servants in the State are going to be happy. He did not stop at the increment of salaries of civil servants; he has also touched the lives of retirees like myself through a corresponding harmonization that would follow suit”.
He noted that through such actions, the Governor has succeeded in restoring the dignity of labor in public servants.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s emergence out of the woodwork to take the reins of power in Edo State has salvaged public service in the State. His commitment to the reforms currently ongoing in the public service remains a unique tie that binds and endears public servants to his administration.
