Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has approved an additional one-year tax holiday for the state workforce, building on the one-year relief granted last year.
Governor Ododo made the announcement on Thursday at the Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre in Lokoja, as part of the 2025 May Day celebrations. He explained that this new one-year tax moratorium complements the earlier relief tied to the approval and implementation of the new national minimum wage, “to cushion the harsh economic effects facing workers.”
In addition, the Governor extended the retirement age for health professionals from sixty to sixty-five years or from thirty-five to forty years of service. He also ordered the immediate provision of potable water for the Comrade Onuh Edoka Labour House, benefiting both workers and local residents.
Acknowledging workers’ contributions to Kogi State’s development, Ododo said a responsive government “would accord priority to the welfare of workers,” while noting that organized labour’s “enormous demands… could not be met at once due to economic difficulties.” He assured that his administration “will continue to accord necessary attention to the welfare of workers, who serve as the engine room of government,” and emphasized that pensioners, as well as education, youth, and women’s empowerment initiatives, “will also be carried along.”
“Our three state-owned universities are thriving and progressing steadily, and we are happy that they have met the necessary standards and will produce manpower that will compete favourably with their counterparts across the world. Our assignment is to serve humanity,” the Governor stated.
He further disclosed that his government has consistently released N105 million monthly as gratuity to local government retirees, fulfilling “his promises to the people.”
Earlier, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Gabriel Amari, expressed appreciation to the Governor “for much he has done so far,” while urging the government to “look critically into our demands with a view to giving workers more hope.”
The State Head of Service, Dr. Elijah Evinemi, noted that the present administration “has placed workers’ welfare at the front burner,” and urged employees to reciprocate by being dedicated to their duties.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters, Comrade Onuh Edoka, said Governor Ododo “was the first to approve and implement the new national minimum wage, which has been acknowledged by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the country.” Comrade Edoka commended the Governor for “his courage in appointing labour leaders to key positions under his administration” and assured that “workers will reciprocate at the right time.”
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