Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has announced that the state will begin paying a new minimum wage of N70,000 starting next month. The announcement was made during a meeting held at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre in Awka on Thursday, where Soludo addressed principals and headteachers from public primary and secondary schools across the state.
This new wage increase is part of the governor’s ongoing efforts to improve the welfare of public sector workers in the state. The introduction of the N70,000 minimum wage aims to better align with the rising cost of living and support workers financially.
Alongside the announcement of the new wage, Soludo also revealed plans to expand the state’s free education program. According to the governor, from next week, all senior secondary school students in public schools will be eligible for free education. He added that students who have already paid the N5,000 school fees for this term will be refunded.
He said, “Anambra State will commence the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage from next month. From next week, a free education policy will be available to senior students in all public schools in Anambra.
“I assure you that, even with the binding resource constraint, this administration will continue to work very hard to deliver on the mandate.
“From next month, we also hope to start paying the new minimum wage of N70,000. Students in senior classes who have already paid their N5,000 fees for this term should be refunded, and we promise to do more in human development.”