The Lagos State Government has approved and paid N3.67 billion in salary arrears to 6,293 academic and non-academic staff of state-owned tertiary institutions as part of sweeping welfare and public service reforms aimed at improving workers’ wellbeing and sustaining industrial harmony across the state.
Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, disclosed this on Monday 25th May during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing commemorating the third year of the second term of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
Ayantayo said the payment covered nine months of arrears arising from the 25 percent and 35 percent salary increase approved for workers in Lagos State-owned tertiary institutions.
He also said the government paid N456.5 million Medical Residency Training Fund to 470 resident doctors in the state, while salary differentials amounting to N378.8 million were approved for medical and dental practitioners.
Punch reports Lagos also successfully implemented the Lagos Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, a move that helped avert industrial action in the health sector and improve remuneration for doctors and dental practitioners.
The salary backlog clearance was just one of several significant financial interventions unveiled at the briefing. The Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, disclosed that a total of N8,042,264,264.91 had been paid to retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme and the Defined Benefit Scheme, describing the payment as a reflection of the government’s commitment to the welfare of serving and retired public servants.
On staff welfare, the Head of Service disclosed that the state government implemented the payment of N50,000 palliative to public servants in May 2026 and also approved a N32,000 monthly pension increment for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme.
The government also flagged off an annual health screening exercise tagged “Public Servants, Know Your Numbers,” aimed at encouraging workers to prioritise regular health checks for improved productivity and longevity.
The 16th edition of the Lagos State Long Service Merit Award honoured 750 public servants who had spent not less than 30 years in service, including six Permanent Secretaries and 744 officers across various cadres. Five senior officers were also presented with brand new cars.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, emphasised that the welfare of workers remains central to his administration’s agenda. “Our job has always been to make sure that the city we are building is also a city that works for you,” he said, adding that public servants are regarded not as a budget line or a political bloc, but as the living infrastructure of Lagos State.