Minimum Wage: Obaseki slams Okpebholo, APC for false claims
Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused his successor, Governor Monday Okpebholo, of making a weak attempt to discredit him, emphasizing that his efforts are not only falling apart but also revealing him as a superficial politician.
In a statement to on Sunday, Obaseki’s Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, described the accusation by the acting chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),
Comrade Bernard Joman, that Obaseki failed to implement the ₦70,000 minimum wage, as both mischievous and utterly absurd.
He urged Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to refrain from deliberately distorting facts, spreading baseless accusations, falsehoods, and biased narratives aimed at discrediting the former governor.
Monday Okpebholo
Osagie noted that civil servants now anticipate Governor Okpebholo to raise the minimum wage to ₦100,000 monthly, given that inflation has worsened since Obaseki’s last increase to ₦70,000 monthly.
The statement reads: “The Edo State Governor-select, Monday Okpebholo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), like a jilted lover, have refused to let go of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, resorting to deliberate falsification of facts, baseless allegations, lies, and skewed narratives to discredit the former governor and blemish his sterling legacy, having in eight years as the State’s helmsman undertaken bold and transformative reforms and programmes that improved the lives of the people and placed the State on the path of prosperity.
“Their latest feeble attempt, through the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) acting chairman, Comrade Bernard Joman, accusing Governor Obaseki of not implementing the N70,000 minimum wage, is not only mischievous and utterly ridiculous but also exposes the government’s ignorance and showcases its lack of substance, vision, and a development agenda for the state and its people.
“It is public knowledge how former Governor Godwin Obaseki took the country by storm, setting the pace for discussions on improved worker welfare when he initiated the ongoing efforts by various States and the Federal Government to raise their minimum wage to N70,000 or above.
“The N70,000 minimum has since been implemented, and Edo civil servants have enjoyed it since May 2024 with His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, making history as the first governor to start the N70,000 new minimum wage payment.
“What civil servants expect from the governor-select, Okpebholo is a further increase to 100,000 monthly, considering that the inflation challenge has worsened since Obaseki last increased it to 70,000 monthly and not telling unintelligent lies and resorting to propaganda to score cheap political points.
“Unfortunately, the governor-select, whose only effort at governance since he took office, has been to tour all of Obaseki’s projects and try to discredit them, has been doing a poor job at executing his mischief
“He has turned the Nigerian Observer Newspapers into a propaganda tool but I am sure that he’s pretending not to know that but for Obaseki’s midas touch, the Nigerian Observer would still be wallowing in their parlous environment with stone-age printing equipment.
“Okpebholo is clearly not a brilliant governor but I think he doesn’t need much intelligence to understand that his feeble attempt at discrediting Obaseki is not only crumbling like a pack of cards but also exposing him as a shallow politician.
“We want to, again, remind the governor-select that telling unintelligent lies won’t earn him the love and support of the people of Edo State whose mandate he and his godfathers, lions and tigers stole during the September 21 governorship election. We advise him that if he has any plans and agenda for the development of the State, he should focus on them and leave Obaseki out of his incompetence.”
