Wage Award Payment To Continue Until New Minimum Wage Is Ready – Gov Mbah

The governor of Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah has extended the timeline for the payment of wage award in his State.

He assured Enugu State workers that wage award payment will stop when the committee on new minimum wage has concluded its work.

Governor Mbah made the promise while addressing a Town Hall meeting at the Old Government House, Enugu on Saturday.

Those in attendance were representatives of the Civil Society Organisations, women, students, youth, business owners, traders, transport unions among others.

Governor Mbah explained that his administration started paying the wage award of between N10,000 and N25,000 to state workers last December to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

“Until new minimum wage is concluded, we will continue to pay wage award,” he assured.

The governor who added that his administration inherited arrears of pension and gratuity of retired civil servants, explained that he did not waste time in clearing them.

“Today we are working seriously to clear that of primary school teachers and Local Government workers.”

Mr Mbah also explained what his administration was doing in the education sector, using it as the strongest weapon to fight poverty.

“This is why we are building SMART Schools across 260 wards which will be operational by September, 2025.

“Our children will now be using tablets to study and teachers smart boards to teach while the student would learn about artificial intelligence, robotics and others that will make them technological inclined.”

In the health sector, he said level two Primary Health Centres are being constructed across the 260 wards to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the state.

On electricity, the governor said: “Electricity being the major infrastructural requirement for private sector to thrive, we took advantage when the Federal Government removed it from exclusive list to concurrent list by establishing Enugu State Electricity Commission.

“There shall be no monopoly as people will be allowed to buy and sell electricity.”