By Sylvia Akpan, Government House Correspondent
The Cross River State Government has debunked claims that it is among the states yet to implement the N70,000 minimum wage, describing a recent media report as “false, unfounded, and a gross misrepresentation of facts.”
The government in a statement issued on Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bassey Otu, Mr. Nsa Gill, said the government regrets the misleading report said to be published in one of the national dailies without proper verification.
“Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report in The Punch and some other media platforms, falsely listing Cross River among states that are yet to implement the new N70,000 minimum wage for workers,” Gill said. “This report is entirely false.”
He emphasized that Governor Bassey Otu’s administration was “one of the first in the country” to fully implement the new wage structure as early as December 2024. “The implementation cut across both the state and local government services, with full consequential adjustments, and workers are already benefiting from the new wage structure,” he said.
Gill noted that such a misleading publication is a sensitive report and would be fair for the same news platforms to publish the verified position of the Cross River State government.
He said the implementation can be verified by stakeholders such as the State Chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
“Governor Bassey Otu’s administration remains fully committed to the welfare and upliftment of workers in Cross River State,” he said. “Salaries have continued to be paid regularly and without fail,” he added.
He urged the public to disregard the misleading report, assuring Cross Riverians and Nigerians that the state government remains focused on prioritizing the well-being of its workforce and the residents alike.
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