Fuel Subsidy: Gov Hope Uzodinma Increase Minimum Wage

Imo state Governor Hope Uzodinma has raised the minimum salary for workers in the state to N40,000 due to the removal of fuel subsidy.

On Saturday, July 15, the governor stated this to members of the state executive council. He stated that the current economic situation is harsh on the people as a result of the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, and that the salary increase is intended to help cushion the hardship that civil officials in the state are experiencing as a result of the elimination of the fuel subsidy.

Governor Uzodinma said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachukwu, that his administration will provide soft loans, grants, seedlings, and farm implements to qualified farmers in the state.

The statement in part read: “There shall be an immediate upward review of the salaries and wages of workers in the state. The minimum wage is hereby raised to forty thousand naira (N40,000) with discretionary consequential adjustments. At least, your salaries would be able not only to take you home but to also provide your basic necessities to enable you to make ends meet.

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“Apart from the free transport which the workers are already enjoying, I shall increase the fleet of buses carrying workers to and from work with ten more new buses. This is to ensure every nook and cranny of the state capital is captured in the routes that the buses ply, to bring the service closest to the doorsteps of every worker.

“Also, plans have reached an advanced level to recalibrate the tax system in Imo state, with Governor Uzodimma hinting that those who earn below N100,000 annually are likely going to be yanked off the State’s tax net.

“I have discovered, with pain, how some traders are taking advantage of the economic situation to increase the prices of food items in the market.

“Against this backdrop, the government will soon establish Imo State Marketing and Commodity Board (ISMCB), which will ensure food items are sold at normal prices. We shall achieve this by setting up low-cost markets in the state where prices of food items and commodities will be affordable for the masses. The markets will be situated in all the 27 LGAs of the state.”