Claim: An X user claimed that Governor Sanwo-Olu had increased the minimum wage from N35,000 to N70,000.
Verdict: False! Findings show that the Lagos state governor’s video does not depict an increase in the minimum wage of state workers but an increase in the wage allowance.
Full Text
In Nigeria, the rising inflation and the present economic hardships faced by the country’s populace have prompted a continuous call for a new minimum wage review for civil servants. With the current national minimum wage set at N30,000, many argue it needs more due to rising inflation.
These expectations on the minimum wage have been expressed through the labour unions in the country, with the NLC president generating some controversy for calling for an increment of up to a million naira.
During the zonal public hearings in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja, workers in the North-West requested N485,000, North-East, N560,000; north-central, N709,000 (NLC); N447,000 (TUC); south-west, N794,000; South-South, N850.000; and South-East, N540,000 by NLC and N447,000 by TUC.
While these conversations unfold, some state governors have expressed concerns about their ability to pay a higher minimum wage without a review of the national revenue-sharing formula. There remain some implementation delays by states that have yet to fully implement the current minimum wage of N30,000. There has also been speculation about implementing a new minimum wage by May 2024.
In addition, an X user @_callmebekky, on April 25, 2024, claimed in a post that Governor Sanwo Olu had increased the minimum wage of Civil servants in the state to N70,000. The post had an attached video of Governor Sanwo Olu addressing an audience to bolster the claim made.
The post’s caption reads, “Governor Sanwo-Olu has increased the minimum wage from 35,000 Naira to 70,000 Naira ”
As of April 27, 2024, the post had been viewed over 225,000 times, generating over 1,500 likes, 648 retweets, and 215 comments on the social media platform X.
It has also received reactions from users, who expressed excitement and disbelief.
An X user, @udeochusp, wrote: “Gooooooaaal. Up Lagos,” while @MayJaYBaE wrote, “This is impressive. Should be done in all the states, too.”
Another user, @_khay_O, expressing disbelief, wrote: “At what point did he mention that minimum wage has been increased? Why do we thrive with misinformation so much?”
Having observed the various reactions and engagement generated by the post and its virality on other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and other news platforms, DUBAWA decided to fact-check it.
Verification
We listened to excerpts from the video the Lagos State Governor shared on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, during the flag-off of the “Eko Cares Initiative.” It reads thus,
“By the grace of God, very soon, we will see a new minimum wage that will be approved for the federal and state governments. The civil servants and all public officers know that since January, we have continued to pay the minimum wage allowance of N35,000, over and above what they earned. If they are not saying it, let us say it. So it means that people earning a minimum of N35,000, N40,000, they’ve now been earning N70,000. That’s what they’ve been enjoying since January…….”
The statement’s first line depicts the governor’s futuristic reference to an increment in the minimum wage, which still needs to be implemented. The Lagos state commissioner of information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, also clarified that no minimum wage increment has happened.
A press statement by the Lagos state commissioner of information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, via his official X handle, also states:
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been erroneously quoted as saying that a new minimum wage of N70,000 had been announced. This is wrong. Mr. Governor never said so. He said that since January, civil servants have been earning the N35,000 wage award directed by the federal government. In other words, those earning N35,000 now earn N70,000. He did not announce a new minimum wage of N70,000.”
Giving further clarification on the issue of the mix-up of the wage award and a new minimum wage by some members of the Governor’s speech, the Vice Chairman of NLC Lagos State Council, Olabisi Adebayo Idowu added that negotiations on a new minimum wage were still ongoing. He said:
“We are still waiting for the salary increase, and negotiation is going on between the Labor centers….”
Conclusion
Our findings show that the claim that the Lagos state governor announced an increase in the minimum wage of civil servants in Lagos from 35,000 Naira to 70,000 Naira is untrue.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Diamond 88.5 FM Nigeria, to enrich the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
