The jubilation that trailed the minimum monthly wage increase from N70,000 to N75,000 announcement by the Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo on May 1st 2025 (workers Day celebration) has diminished, following the delay in implemention of the minimum wage award for 18 Local Government Councils workers in the State.
On the flip side, the wage award is being implemented for workers in the State Civil Service. The measure is working as planned since the month of month of May 2025.
But the implementation remains a mirage in local Government Councils due largely to the absence of elected Council officials across the Councils that have since been replaced with Caretaker Committees.
The Local Government Service Commission for Council workers, has yet-to unpack what appears to have being a stalemate that has dampened the enthusiasm of workers at the grassroots.
The leadership National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) is also helpless over the situation. The expiration of the tenure of the Executives in most in the Councils has made matters worse.
The fibre that use to hold the Council workers has been notched on cliff hanger since the exit of PDP elected Council Chairmen who were shown the exit door in the power play between Okpebholo and the suspended Council officials who came into office during the tenure of Godwin Obaseki.
The ongoing debates and legal between the All Progressives Congress led government of Governor Okpebholo and suspended Council chairmen are yet-to-be resolved in Court.
But, allocations to Local Government Councils from Federation Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) increased after the removal of subsidy on petrol by the federal government.
The staggering Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by LGAs is thought to be behind the drawback in Local Government administration arising from income earners groan daily over the government policy, thereby halting Local Government workers motivation in the State.
Investigation further revealed that the sanitary condition of markets and abattoirs
in most Local Government Areas, especially in the three Metropolitan areas in the State, are in a sorry state. This poses great risk to the people and their well-beings.
The State government recently reintroduce the monthly sanitation exercise and set up mobile Courts to try violators, but leakages in government revenue payments platform.
Investigation revealed that the State government is working evidence-based new order to change the narratives and address the issues within the next few months.
A Local Government Council staff, who does not want her name mentioned lamented that Local Government workers are yet to get full entitlements, re-echoing the call for full implementation of financial Autonomy of Local Government Councils in Nigeria.
The staffer lamented the absence of NULGE executives in most Local Government Councils and absence of elected Councils officials, which has hindered democratic governance at the grassroots in Edo State.
“Yes. They have not yet implemented the new minimum wage. But, they (Local Government Councils authorities) have asked us to be patient that they will do something about it.
“They said that they will implement the arrears”, according to the staffer.
