Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has fired back at his successor, Governor Monday Okpebholo, accusing him of a weak attempt to discredit him.
Obaseki’s Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, described the allegations made by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, acting chairman, Bernard Joman, as mischievous and ridiculous.
Cyber Reporters gathered that the NLC chairman had accused Obaseki of failing to implement the N70,000 minimum wage.
However, Osagie countered that this claim is false and part of a larger effort by Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to discredit Obaseki through deliberate falsehoods and skewed narratives.
Osagie also pointed out that civil servants are now expecting Governor Okpebholo to increase the minimum wage to N100,000 monthly, given the worsening inflation challenge since Obaseki last increased it to N70,000 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.
