OWERRI, Nigeria — Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved a new minimum wage of N104,000 for civil servants, marking a significant increase from the previous rate of N76,000.
Speaking at the Government House in Owerri on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, during a meeting with labour union leaders, Uzodimma said the wage adjustment reflected his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare.
The governor also announced higher salary scales for professionals in key sectors. Doctors’ minimum pay was raised from N215,000 to N503,000, while tertiary institution teachers’ pay rose from N119,000 to N222,000.
“There is no way any government will do well if it doesn’t have a friendly and cordial relationship with the organised labour,” Uzodimma was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as saying.
“When workers are paid well, productivity rises, families are happier, and the local economy grows. This is our way of investing in Imo people.”
Uzodimma highlighted the challenges his government has faced, including insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic hardship brought on by reform policies and subsidy removal.
He credited improved state revenue for making the wage increase possible, noting that internally generated revenue (IGR) had grown from N400 million to more than N3 billion monthly.
He added that the state’s debt profile had fallen from N280 billion in 2020 to less than N100 billion.
The governor also defended the federal government’s removal of fuel subsidies, calling it a difficult but necessary decision.
“It is a thing of joy that we have started seeing the dividends of that bold decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidy,” he said.
“What government is confronted with now is how to ensure that the dividends of that policy trickle down to the common man on the street.”
He further announced that payment of the last batch of gratuities owed to pensioners, amounting to N16 billion, would begin on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
Responding to the announcement, Uchechigemezu Nwigwe, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Imo State, described the pay increase as a major victory for workers.
“Today, no worker in Imo will say you (Uzodimma) have not been fair to us,” Nwigwe said, praising the governor for easing the financial strain on civil servants and positioning Imo as one of the states with the highest minimum wage in the country.
He assured that workers would reciprocate the gesture through greater diligence and efficiency in service delivery.
