In Benin City on Tuesday, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, revealed that his administration had preemptively planned for a ₦70,000 minimum wage for state workers, anticipating economic downturns linked to federal fiscal policies.
The governor made these remarks while receiving the Award for Exceptional Courage in Leadership from the Editorial Board of a magazine.
Governor Obaseki credited the decision to the foresight observed three years ago when he began to voice concerns over the Federal Government’s excessive borrowing, which he believed would eventually strain the country’s financial stability.
According to the statement released by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, strategic financial planning was essential to ensure the state could support its workforce amidst looming economic challenges.
According to him, “We can pay the N70,000 minimum wage because we planned in the last three years because we knew a day like this would come.
“Thank God that we have been vindicated today, as our sincerity has helped us prevail over every situation. We see prospects for a better economy and transparent government in Edo State because of the institutional reforms we have introduced to better manage the State.
“We have always prevailed because the majority of Edo people understand appreciate and endorse what our government has done. This has been the reason for the courage with which we have tackled any problem we faced along the way.”
Noting that the state was on a steady growth trajectory, he said, “For the next few months that are left for our administration, we will finish strong. We will finish all that we have started. This week, I will set up my transition team that will aggregate and document for the next administration all our achievements, projects and undertakings for our administration.”
