Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved a new minimum wage of ₦104,000 for civil servants, marking a significant increase from the previous ₦76,000.
The governor announced the new wage structure during a meeting with leaders of various labour unions on Tuesday night at the Government House in Owerri.
The decision also includes substantial salary increases for key professionals in the state’s public sector.
Under the new adjustments, doctors’ minimum wage rises from ₦215,000 to ₦503,000 while lecturers and tertiary institution teachers will now earn at least ₦222,000, up from ₦119,000.
Governor Uzodimma described the wage review as a strategic investment in the people of Imo, aimed at boosting productivity, economic growth, and workers’ welfare.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people,” he said.
The governor noted that despite the challenges his administration faced since 2020 including insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic reforms, and subsidy removal, his government had stayed committed to supporting workers.
He credited the state’s improved financial position for enabling the wage increases.
According to Uzodimma, internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has grown from ₦400 million to over ₦3 billion monthly.
Federal allocations have doubled from around ₦6 billion in 2020 to ₦14 billion, while debt profile has dropped from over ₦280 billion to less than ₦100 billion.
Uzodimma emphasized that the administration had spent heavily on rebuilding collapsed infrastructure, especially roads and tackling insecurity, which he said had previously crippled development across all sectors.
“It is a thing of joy that we have started seeing the dividends of that bold decision by President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy,” he said.
He acknowledged that subsidy removal had raised the cost of living but maintained that the government was committed to ensuring the benefits reach ordinary citizens.
The governor also announced that the state would begin payment of the final batch of ₦16 billion in gratuities owed to pensioners, starting August 27.
