A total of ₦12 billion was paid to state employees by the Oyo State Government on Friday. Dotun Oyelade, the state commissioner for information and orientation, said in a statement on Saturday that the payment was made because Governor Seyi Makinde had promised to pay state employees a minimum wage of ₦80,000 starting on January 1, 2025.

One effect of the new wage, he noted, is that employees on Grade Levels I through VI now receive at least a ₦50,000 raise, while those on Grade Level 17 saw their pay soar by more than ₦180,000. “Pensioners are included in the overall welfare program during the same month of January.

“With immediate effect, a 33 percent pension increase for over 40,000 retirees and a minimum pension of ₦25,000 have been approved.”

To further alleviate financial strain on people preparing to retire, the commissioner disclosed that the state government has eliminated the requirement of paying ₦4,000 for retirement forms.

Nearly ₦20 million will return to the purses of roughly 4,500 workers who will soon retire, Oyelade stated.