The Edo State government has announced an upward review of the minimum wage in the state by 33.3 per cent to N40,000 from N30,000.
The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who stated this on Tuesday also said his administration had slashed the work days to three from five till further notice.
He explained that the pay rise and reduction in work days were made to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.
The action of the national government has resulted in a sharp hike in the prices of goods and services in the country, putting pressure on the citizens because of inflationary pressures.
But Mr Obaseki said the state government would do everything within its powers to lessen the sufferings of residents of Edo State, promising that his administration would engage the energy distribution company for the state on ways to make electricity more stable.
"We want to reassure our people that we will do all within our powers as a sub-national government to reduce the pains and ameliorate the sufferings our people are currently facing due to the current realities.
"As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo State from the approved N30,000 to N40,000, the highest in the country today.
"We want to assure you that we will continue to pay this amount, while we hope to increase it even further if more allocation accrues to our state from the federal government in view of the expected savings occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy," the Governor said.
Speaking further in the statement, Mr Obaseki said, "We know the hardship that has been caused by this policy which has radically increased the cost of transportation, eating deep into the wages of workers in the state.
"Therefore, the Edo State Government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week till further notice. Workers will now work from home two days a week.
"Similarly, for teachers and parents, their commuting to school will be reduced as the government is working on deepening the EdoBEST@Home initiative to create more virtual classrooms, thereby reducing the cost of commuting on parents, teachers and pupils. The Edo SUBEB will provide details on this initiative in the coming days.
"To lower the rising cost of energy on our people, we will continue to work with the electricity companies in the state to improve power supply to homes and businesses.
“Similarly, fibre optic connections are being made available to help our people work remotely, thereby reducing their cost of transportation," he added.
The Governor appealed to residents of Edo State “to remain calm and go about their daily businesses lawfully” while the government intensified efforts to alleviate the burden of the fuel price increase on them.
