Rhodes-Vivour: N85,000 Minimum Wage Falls Short of Lagos Workers’ Needs

Sanwo-Olu stated that Lagos had raised its minimum wage to N85,000, with plans to further increase it to N100,000 by January 2024. He emphasized that the wage adjustments were aimed at ensuring a living wage for Lagos workers, not to outdo other states, but to improve the livelihoods of civil servants.

While commending the wage increment, Rhodes-Vivour pointed out that N100,000 is the minimum necessary for workers in Lagos to keep pace with rising costs, especially in transportation, housing, and food, noting that Lagos ranks second highest nationally in the cost of living. He argued that despite the wage increase, many challenges remain unaddressed for residents, particularly in terms of infrastructure and social services.

Rhodes-Vivour criticized the governor for focusing on the size of Lagos’ budget, which has grown from N600 billion to over N1 trillion, and is projected to reach N3 trillion by the end of Sanwo-Olu’s term. He argued that these budget figures are at odds with the state’s realities, citing poor infrastructure, limited investment in human capital, an underperforming public transportation network, increasing informal settlements, and a lack of social welfare programs. According to Rhodes-Vivour, the state’s reliance on citizens’ taxes—70% of its revenue—warrants better public services in return.

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He questioned the tangible benefits that Lagosians receive from their tax contributions, particularly regarding education, transportation, road maintenance, social housing, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Rhodes-Vivour expressed frustration that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has had 24 years to address these issues but has made little progress in transforming Lagos into a world-class city.

While acknowledging the recent opening of the Blue Line rail after 16 years, Rhodes-Vivour challenged the governor to set higher aspirations for Lagos, urging a long-term vision that would position the city to compete with major cities across Africa. He emphasized that comparing Lagos to smaller Nigerian states like Bauchi or Ekiti was shortsighted, calling for more substantial and visionary development efforts.

In his concluding remarks, Rhodes-Vivour argued that the government’s success should not be measured solely by the size of its budget but by the quality of life it provides to its citizens.