Owerri, Aug. 27, 2025 – Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has approved N104,000 new minimum wage for civil servants in the state from the old N76,000.
The governor announced this on Tuesday night during a meeting with leaders of labour unions in Owerri.
He has also approved an increase in the minimum wage of medical doctors from N215,000 to N503,000, while lecturers in tertiary institutions will now earn a minimum of N222,000 from N119,000.
He said other categories of workers will also benefit from similar adjustments.
Uzodinma said by the decision, his administration was responding to the economic realities faced by citizens since he assumed office in 2020.
“There is no way any government will do well if it doesn’t have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organised labour.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows.
“This is our way of investing in Imo people. Government believes in stimulating political and economic activities, carrying bureaucrats along, and making sure that workers’ welfare was highly respected,” he said.
Uzodinma said he was happy about the giant strides his government had made since assumption of office.
He said the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had grown from N400 million to over N3 billion monthly, while the federal allocations of between N5 billion to N7 billion had increased to N14 billion.
The governor also said the state had also reduced its debts of over N280 billion in 2020 to less than N100 billion.
The governor said the state government would start paying the final batch of N16 billion gratuity it owed to pensioners on August 27, which he described as another step toward clearing the backlog of workers’ entitlements.
Responding, Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), described the salary adjustment as a victory for the entire workforce in the state.
“Today, no worker in Imo can say the governor has not been fair to us.
“He has not only rescued us from economic hardship but also placed Imo among the states paying the highest minimum wage,” he said.
