The Edo N’Okpa Movement, a civic organization based in Benin City, has strongly criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki’s recent announcement of a new N70,000 minimum wage for state workers, labelling it as a strategic ploy to attract votes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming September 21 governorship election.
Naijaonpoint reports that in a statement released on Wednesday, the group condemned the wage increase as an act of electoral manipulation aimed at wooing voters.
The national convener of the Edo N’Okpa Movement, Emovon Osaretin, expressed skepticism about the timing and sincerity of the new wage proposal.
He accused Governor Obaseki of engaging in superficial pre-election tactics by temporarily ramping up infrastructure activities and now, offering an appealing but potentially unsustainable wage package to public workers.
“The new minimum wage announcement is one of such ‘caterpillars and bulldozers’ tactics, which should not be celebrated by the state workers and the people of the state,” Osaretin stated.
He highlighted the inconsistency in the state’s financial commitments, pointing out that the Obaseki administration has struggled to effectively meet the current N40,000 minimum wage, with many workers reportedly owed up to six months in arrears.
Osaretin also suggested that the wage increase could be a strategic burden placed on the next administration, questioning the feasibility of its implementation given the state’s fiscal challenges.
“Maybe he is setting booby traps for the next governor since he knows very well that his anointed governorship candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, cannot win the election in Edo State,” he remarked.
Additionally, the Edo N’Okpa Movement called attention to ongoing infrastructure projects that have been delayed or inconsistently managed, such as the Benin-Ugo-Abraka Road project initiated in 2016 but still incomplete.
The group advised Edo workers and the youth to remain vigilant and discerning of political motives, particularly with the election approaching. They were urged not to sell their votes and to resist being manipulated into participating in electoral violence.