The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that public workers in the state will receive a pay rise as part of a move to cushion the effects of inflation and the high cost of living in the country.
The governor’s announcement to civil servants on Tuesday was greeted with jubilation during his working visit to the state secretariat with his cabinet members in Alausa, Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that state directors will be given the first phase of a fleet of 100 official cars.
He said, “I have looked around, I know there is pressure and high level of inflation in the country. There is high cost of living everywhere. Last month at the cabinet meeting, I instructed the Office of Head of Service and Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions to start work on how we will increase the salaries of the entire workforce.
“I just don’t want to talk about it because we are Lagos; we reflect this decision in the lives of our people. I know the pressure of inflation is on you; we will not wait for the Federal Government before we take this decision. This is Lagos. We are going to review the salaries and ensure we take care of our public servants.
“When we do the pay rise, not only will we expect more from you, our citizens must also see the benefits of this important decision in the service delivery.
“We are a Government that is proactive, we don’t want the staff unions to hold us to ransom. We are responding to the yearnings of our people; I know you have not asked for it, but I am happy to tell you that a pay increase is on the way.
“We will also give our directors 100 official vehicles before the end of this month so we will start doing this in phases. The first thing I promised you then was that a certain percentage of housing will be reserved for public servants, and we have inaugurated 17 housing estates now, so we will make sure that you receive a 40 per cent discount for a certain percentage of staff housing.”
The governor also reiterated his promise to clear the backlog of pensions.
“Lagos has been the best in terms of payment of pension benefits to our retired workers. Our government is committed to clearing the entire backlog; we are already close to clearing the 2021 liabilities. We are committed to ensuring that all our workers get paid their pensions upon retirement from service and this is the legacy we want to leave behind.
“I am one of you and I am part of you. It is really a homecoming for me. The support and encouragement I have received from all of you have been unprecedented. On behalf of Lagosians, I thank all of you for the great service you are rendering, which has made the Lagos public service the best in the country. It is only when the public service is energised and properly motivated that the citizens can feel the best of governance,” he added.
The state Head of Service, Muri-Okunola, on behalf of the civil servants, commended the governor for prioritising the workers’ welfare and benefits.
Muri-Okunola added that Sanwo-Olu had fulfilled more than 80 per cent of his promises to the state’s workers, stressing that the welfare package of the state government was second to none.
He noted that 3,000 workers in the public service had benefited from the governor’s retroactive approval for capacity building for staff, while the culture of prompt payment of salaries had been sustained.
“The governor has ensured that the officers implementing his administration’s THEMES agenda have adequate work tools and enabling environment for the actualisation of the programmes. A motivated workforce is what Lagos State public service is under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu and we will continue to get motivated to do more for Lagosians,” he said.
