Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said his government will pay a new minimum wage of N85,000 to workers in the state, the highest so far in Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Wednesday while featuring on Channels TV Politics Today.

“I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we’ve discussed with our union, is N85,000 today,” Sanwo-Olu said, adding that it is not a competition with other states but a function of affordability of the state.

He hinted that the government may raise the minimum wage to N100,000 as part of its commitment to give Lagos workers a living wage.

“It is not a competition, so I am not going to say we are paying more than some other people, it is a function of affordability and it is a function of capacity, but we know too well that when people live in Lagos, Lagos has a premium in terms of even the cost of living, we are fully aware.

“We actually increased salaries earlier in the year and deserving so for our staff and we will continue to do that.

“I would like to come back to you in January to say I have been able to increase the minimum wage of Lagos to N100,000 not because I want to make anybody look bad, it is really because I want my people to have a living wage, I want them to really be able to know that government is working for them,” the governor said.

This places Lagos wage above the national minimum wage of N72,000.