A frosty relationship between the Lagos and Oyo state governments appears to have developed, as both governments have engaged in words trading over payment of the recently approved minimum wage prescribed by the Federal Government.

While the Oyo State Government said Lagos State’s decision to pay N18, 000 minimum wage was because of its financial buoyancy, Lagos also accused the Oyo State of blackmailing the state government and feeding the general public with lies.

In a swift reaction to the advertorial, the Lagos State Government in a statement signed by Chairman of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Tunde Fowler, made available to newsmen on Wednesday, said its resolve to pay the N18, 000 minimum wage recently prescribed by the Federal Government for Nigerian workers was based on its belief that governance would be better enhanced with a well-motivated workforce.

Fowler explained that the decision to react to the advertorial became necessary to put record straight, pointing out that the advertorial by the Oyo State Government purporting that the Lagos State Government had commenced payment of the new minimum wage because it “generates N20 billion internally every month. Therefore, its new wage bill of N5.5 billion is only 25 per cent of its monthly IGR.“Our resolve to pay the minimum wage with obvious limitations given the infrastructure and social needs of a state with huge population like Lagos, hinges on our belief that our ability to govern and serve our people can only be enhanced by a well-motivated workforce,” he added.

Describing the advertorial reference to Lagos State IGR as ‘inaccurate’, the state government further stated, “for the records, the internally generated revenue (IGR) of Lagos State is yet to reach N20 billion per month. It is therefore inaccurate to report that Lagos State IGR is N20 billion.”

The statement added that, “the 36 states of the federation have different comparative advantages, hence the need to leverage on the unique opportunities that each state is blessed with. Lagos State is determined to empower its workforce, hence, the payment of the minimum wage of N18, 000.“This response is to clarify factual inaccuracies about Lagos State Government’s internally Generated Revenue.”

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Posted: at 16-06-2011 01:35 PM (12 years ago) | Gistmaniac

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