In fulfilment of its promise, the government of Oyo State, led by the governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has paid a 13th-month salary to workers in the state civil service.
NEW DAILY PRIME learnt that the workers received the payment alert on their phones on the evening of Monday, December 30, 2024.
Confirming the payment, the state’s commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said this was despite the cumulative payment of N77 billion, which the government spends yearly for salaries and wages of Oyo State workers.
The commissioner recalled that only two weeks ago, Governor Makinde approved the payment of N80,000 minimum wages for government workers after the negotiating council resolved the issue of the consequential adjustment.
Oyelade said that starting January 1, 2025, the government will pay a total of ₦143 billion on salaries and wages annually by the approval of the new minimum wage.
The commissioner stressed that this represents a whopping 86 per cent increase in salaries and wages.
According to him, this puts Oyo State as having one of the three highest workers’ packages in the federation.
Some of the workers spoken to by NEW DAILY PRIME, also confirmed the development, commending the governor for what they call an unprecedented kindness in the ancient state.
Tolu Onifade, who works in the state ministry of agriculture, said, “God bless our kind-hearted governor for this gesture. When he made the promise, we did not believe him; we thought it was his usual political talk. But receiving the alert yesterday, I was so happy I started praying for him (Gov Makinde). He has done what nobody has ever done before. May God bless him and his government.”
