Commissioner: Anambra constituted minimum wage panel before others

Paul Nwosu, the commissioner for information in Anambra, says the state government was the first to constitute a minimum wage committee in the country

y.Nwosu is reacting to a media report that claimed that 27 states, including Anambra and the federal capital territory (FCT), were yet to set up panels to implement the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage.

On July 29, President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law after the senate and house of representatives passed the new legislation.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner said Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, was the first to constitute a minimum wage committee.

“The attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to a Punch Newspaper report of Sunday, 11th August 2024, titled ’27 states, FCT yet to set up minimum wage panels,’ where Anambra State was listed among the 27 states that have not set up committees to implement the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage,” the statement reads.

“The report as it concerns Anambra State is not true, as Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo CFR, was the first to constitute a minimum wage committee even before the crisis over minimum wage escalated.

“The Anambra State Committee on Minimum Wage was precisely set up on May 22, 2024, two months before President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024.

The minimum wage committee comprises the secretary to the state government (SSG), the head of service (HOS), the commissioner for budget and economic planning, the state chapters of the Nigerian Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria as members, including the executive and legislative arms of local governments.”

The commissioner said local correspondents and reporters of news organisations should always endeavour to verify their reports before publication to avoid embarrassing the organisations they represent.